Diary of a Party Girl Turned Wife and Mama: Move Over Chez Ami, It's Chez LB!

I think I've said it before, but my mother was the craftiest of the crafty. She came up with awesome ideas, and turned the most minscule, unassuming thing into a piece of artwork. When I was growing up, I remember the house being scattered with bridesmaids dresses, Mardi Gras trains, wind chimes made from spoons, sun catchers made from stones and pieces of glass, etc. She had a real gift.

All these years, though, I figured that gene just skipped my generation. My sister couldn't even match a decent outfit much less create an ensemble of beauty. And me?? Well, I took home ec and hated it. "Screw cooking and sewing," I thought. "That stuff is for frumpy old ladies with nothing better to do. If I want something good to eat, I'll go to a restaurant. If I want a pretty dress, I'll buy it!"

I've always been like that -- I want it, and I want it right now! I don't want to wait on anything. I am too impatient which is why my husband says I'm hard to buy for. Anything I want, I just go get it myself. You can only imagine his frustrations at Christmas. I usually end up getting my own gift, having it wrapped at Macy's, and letting him be surprised on Christmas morning.

Now that I have kids, though, I have gotten better. I still like instant gratification (Dave Ramsey's biggest nightmare), but I am a bit more patient. I don't get nearly as frustrated with tedious tasks, and I can wait out a temper tantrum like a champ.

Better yet, a positive side effect has come from the patience needed to be a mom. I am actually more apt to do things that I wouldn't attempt before -- those things that require me to focus for more than a few moments. It is true that my self-diagnosed ADD gets in the way some times, but I can stay focused if I don't have many interruptions. Let a boo-boo on the slide happen, though, and "now what was I doing with this?" will come to mind a few days later and the original task will never see completion. I'm typically able to work around it, though.

Now don't get me wrong; I still hate to cook. My kids love hot dogs, and I can eat cereal every night until I die. However, I have discovered my inner artist! I first noticed it when my kids became interested in coloring. I can literally color with my kids for hours on end. I love to color, and find it a natural cure for a bad attitude or overwhelming stress. When my mom was in the hospital withering away, I colored. My dad thought I was a nut job, but I was cool as a cucumber when he was falling apart.

Recently I decided to give sewing another try. Since I despised my home ec teacher, I figured maybe she was the reason I never got into it. My husband bought me a basic sewing machine for my birthday. (Well, I did since he doesn't buy gifts for me anymore.) I went to the local Hancock fabric, bought some material and an "easy" pattern, and cranked out a little outfit for my daughter.

Yes, I've discovered my inner artist, but it will never dominate like my inner perfectionist. It took me literally 2 days to sew this thing. I sewed and ripped out and sewed again and ripped out... It's a good thing I was working with cotton. After 2 days, it was done except for the needle work and trim. Awww.... Success??

Only partial success as I left it sitting for 2 months unfinished. Yesterday, though, I decided to do the needlework while I watched the kids ride their 4-wheelers. I even added a little decoration to it. The seams aren't the best looking and the arm holes have a few "bumps," but overall it looks pretty good. So good, in fact, that I let G-baby wear it today. To top it off, nearly everyone I came in contact with raved about the outfit! Honestly, I had 3 people in Walmart alone ask me where I got it.

However, I don't know if or when I will try again. It took so much time! Who knows...maybe I'll find some inspiration from an $80 dress at The Freckled Frog. I hate paying so much for those simple, yet ADORABLE, dresses and outfits. Now, if I can only figure out how to make shoes...
;-)