Weekend

Friday - Left work right on time and came home. I'd thought about leaving a little early to go to JoAnn's for a new double needle, but decided to just come home.

I came home and pulled the kids outside to play with the neighbors. I talked with the neighbor mom and the kids drew chalk all over the driveway. Downwood was in a terrible mood, so I figured it was best to get us all out of his hair.

The results of my henna experiment are conclusive - the spray gel works REALLY WELL as a henna extender if applied when the henna is more dry than not. It re-moistens it, which lets it stain more. It also holds it on the skin longer - it's actually kind of difficult to chip off. This also lets the stain be longer. I like it and I'm going to continue using it.

Saturday - Tried and failed to sleep in. Both kids came in for snuggles and stealing of Mom's phone. Got up, dinked around online, then went and got my hair cut. I love my stylist. She is amazing and wonderful.

Came home and refreshed my knowledge of the Scion campaign I'm running. I decided that it was time that we should put the Rock back in Ragnarok. So far, it's going reasonably well. The players were understandably distraught when they saw that the cover of the book really is Ragnarok, but they recovered nicely. We had to do some serious recap to remember where we'd left off the last time we played (May), but we had pizza, friends, and dice. So that was all lovely and good.

In the evening, Emi and I worked downstairs. I rethreaded my serger and pulled one of my Project Bins out of the cabinet. This one had "Things to sew when you finally switch the serger to white thread". I hemmed a pile of handkerchiefs (squares of linen and cotton, found in my Great Stash Organizing), mended a rip in one of Downwood's pajama pants, and zipped together new dresses for the girls. Emi helped by clipping the threads from the handkerchiefs and putting them in the washer.

Also laundry, because Emi wanted her favorite clothes clean.

Sunday - Slept in a little bit. Got tackled by Ox, who wanted snuggles, a dry diaper, and my phone. Not really sure if the order of those things mattered to him.

After Emi woke up, we had some breakfast and then got her bags packed. She helped pick out her clothes for her suitcase, the books for her backpack, and the bedtime stuffies/blankies for her bedtime bin. Then Downwood got the car ready and he and Emi took off for Illinois.

Ox was distraught. He went and put his shoes on and went back to the garage. So I put him in the car and we went to JoAnn's for fabric and needles. Then we went to the FLGS for dice and the new D&D Starter Set. Then to McD's for french fries.

After we got home, I did more laundry and played some GW2. Then the rest of the day was for doing dishes, finishing laundry, watching cartoons, reading rules, washing dishes, and entertaining little dude. We got to Skype with Emi, Daddy, and Grandma, after which Ox had another meltdown when he realized it was just pictures on the computer. So we had to call back to have them reassure him everything would be fine.

I made dinner for us. As we finished eating, Downwood came home. When he came inside, Ox had a FULL BODY MELTDOWN when he realized Emi wasn't with him. Ox went to get his shoes and tried to pull me to to door with the expression of "Mom. Dad forgot Emi. We need to go rescue her". Little dude wasn't being reassured AT ALL that Emi was fine, was with Grandma, and we were here, and everything's okay.

As a distraction, I went downstairs and grabbed the Lego kit I'd picked up for his birthday present. Downwood sat with him and helped him build the construction machine. Ox calmed down eventually. While the boys worked on the lego, I went down and sewed together some of the fabric Ox and I picked up. Ox now has a Thomas pillow on his bed. Emi has a Spiderman pillow with glow in the dark webs.

Then it was time for bath and bed for little dude.

We called Grandma to see if Emi was settling in okay. Emi. Was. FINE. In fact, she was so fine that she was bouncing and shrieking "BUBBLES! BUBBLES! BUBBLES!" when we asked what they'd done. Apparently, bubbles were involved. And riding her tricycle. And reading books. And having dinner. And everything else.

I have two VERY different kids. It is becoming more and more apparent. :) This is kind of cool.

Today - I woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something. I'm very tired and grumpy and the jerkbrain is loud. I miss my Emi. Ox was still totally snoozy this morning when I left. I went in and told him good morning anyway, since I do that for Emi when she's still sleeping when I leave.

I'm angry at myself for not being more productive with my time. I'm saying bad things to myself for not knowing when we're going to get to Faire this year. I'm calling myself names because of money management issues. I put on clothes and think things are okay and then I look in the mirror and can only think cruel things.

But I made it to work. I have tea. I have a coworker who commiserated with me on the fate of a character in a story we both love. I have Jane Austen on my Kindle. I finished my audiobook ("How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back" - 4 stars), so I can download a new one.

I have henna and nail polish remover. I finished my Mensa daily puzzle easily. I will get tasty lunch. I can maybe try to leave right on time and swing through JoAnn's for fabric Downwood requested (he's jealous of the kiddos' new pillows). There's dance tonight. I can make a post with all my sewing projects and ideas. I have a new episode of KUEC for tonight.

It's going to be okay.

sewing

Current Projects and Status

• Summer dresses for Emi and Sophia - All sewn, just need some sparkly trim topstitched to the neckline. 
• Ivory pencil skirt - Need to cut side panel overlays from stretch lace. Then serge together.
• Ivory A-line skirt for Emi - Need to cut an overlay from stretch lace. Then serge and elastic.
• Half-slips - Fabrics and lace are washed for both my black slip and nude slip. I need to measure, cut, serge, hem, and elastic.
• Stripy A-line skirts for Emi and me - Need to double-needle hem and put in elastic.
• Peacock blue Moneta dress - Fabric is washed and new bodice pattern drafted. Need to cut, serge, hem, and wear.
• Turquoise pencil skirt - Fabric washed. Need to cut, serge, hem, and wear.
• Black and turquoise color-blocked pencil skirt - Fabric washed. Need to cut, serge, hem, and wear.
• Feather and Solid color-blocked t-shirt dress - Fabric washed. Need to cut, serge, hem, and wear.
• Gold iced velvet trumpet skirt - Pattern located. Need to cut, serge, hem, and wear.
• Other projects in bins in my cupboard
  
  • Victorian underthings - chemise and drawers. Already cut, just need to sew
  • A blouse with ruffles - Already cut, just need to sew.
  • Set of placemats for MiL - Fabric gathered together, but not yet cut out.
  • Wine coat - Fabric cut. Need to sew.
  • Quick shoulder bag - Fabric and notions gathered together, but not yet cut out. I want a bag I can roll up inside my laptop bag for traveling. My purple purse is wonderful, but it doesn't fit inside another bag well.
• I have one more Girl Charlee package on the way. It contains material for a sekret project and a maxi skirt. I'm excited!

This actually makes me feel better. There are things I can do that will result in beauty added to the world. And using the stuff I already have downstairs is good. And making plans for the near future makes my jerkbrain quiet down on some of the most destructive things. It's the same reason I bought stuff on eBay when I was in grad school and things in my head were really bad - I can't kill myself today, since I'm expecting a package next Tuesday. I need to stick around until then to pick it up. It's why now I buy more books and music than I could possibly ever listen to and why I buy more craft supplies than I'll ever use. I don't have a good cutoff to say No to myself for these things.

But, I don't need to order any new fabric right now, seeing as how I have quite a list in various stages of Done. I like skirts. I like dresses. I like making things for Emi. I like making things for family. I like my serger.