A Moment of Silence Please

… for I am packing the sewing room today.

SIX DAYS people! And 3 of those are working days. And I STILL have a crap-ton of … well … CRAP to pack. OMG to the nth degree.

And can I pack into the wee hours tonight? NO! The marketing department has a command performance at the CEO's house for a "casual" dinner party. It will be fun, by why-oh-why couldn't this be NEXT weekend? I'll have to switch gears around 4:30 to get ready and get to the store for some sort of hostess gift before I head out.

I should've taken all of next week off, and I may just try to squeeze in at least half a day off on Wednesday. But my plate is pretty full there too. (Literally, OMG - let's not even talk about ALL THE FREE FOOD brought in last week.)

On the bright side, we've finally found another me so my workload will lighten somewhat in about a month and I may actually have energy left for sewing again. She's great (much better than the guy who was initially hired and then backed out — everything happens for a reason), and I think we're going to be good friends as well as coworkers. Can't wait!

Back to the boxes.

Random Saturday Thoughts

1. Man, I have a LOT of crap.
2. And I haven't even started on the sewing room yet.
3. Blogger changed when I wasn't looking.
4. I think I like it.
5. At least in HTML mode, where the screen is so nice and wide.
6. Ten years' worth (give or take) of Sew News makes great, FREE, packing material.
7. Threads will work too, if I run out.
8. Don't panic. I think I'm going to treat myself to the DVD collection (or is it CD? Whatever.)
9. You waste good packing time when you get to the old family albums.
10. Gawd, I even found pics of me in a bikini.
11. I'm going through tape faster than boxes.
12. I hope I have enough to last through the weekend.
13. Or else Alex is getting assigned an errand.
14. Hahaha.
15. I've finished packing the living room and family room.
16. And most of my "office" area (really in the family room, but separate).
17. I think I'm making good progress.
18. Until I think about how much is left.
19. I'd rather buy boxes in one convenient place than scrounge for them.
20. But thanks for the suggestions.
21. I think I'm going to end up in the neighborhood of around 200 boxes.
22. Hoolie Doolie!
23. Hi Belinda.
24. I'm getting pretty excited about moving now.
25. I can't wait to be there.
26. And once I'm there, I have almost a week off from work.
27. Plus another almost-week at the end of May to go see Tyler off.
28. And pick up Alex's "new' car from my brother-in-law.
29. I've decided I want to plant a vegetable garden at the new place.
30. I know nothing about this.
31. Any good websites for newbs?
32. I figure in Florida, the veggies will pretty much grow themselves.
33. Well, they do that anywhere, but you know what I mean.
34. At work, the Marketing Department presented itself at the quarterly shareholders meeting yesterday.
35. I hate public speaking.
36. But everyone said I did well and they liked what I said.
37. Whew. But let's not do THAT again anytime soon, OK?
38. No matter how much I love my job. ;-)
39. I also had my magazine interview that I mentioned a few weeks ago.
40. I do much better one-on-one than me in front of many.
41. Now that I've sat my butt down to write this, I'm paralyzed.
42. But I need to get up and keep packing.
43. Just keeping packing ...
44. I hope the pool is warm when I get to the new place.
45. And I mean warm by Florida terms.
46. Bathwater.
47. That's it for now.
48. I tried to get to 50, but I just couldn't.
49. Unless I cheat.
50. Like this. ;-)

Let the Fun Begin

From here on out until at least mid-May, the posts will be random, scattered, and pretty darn boring. The moving experience has begun, and the only sewing thoughts will likely be mention of packed books, fabric, machines, notions, etc.

And with that note, I give you my first packed boxes in which are all of my sewing books. Unless there are some scattered about in the sewing room that didn't make it into this group. Which is highly likely. And I'm not really GIVING them to you. Presenting, that's what I meant. ;-) I will need these puppies again one day soon.

Do you know (well, you will now) that boxes from Home Depot cost ONE-THIRD of what U-Haul charges? Crikey. At HD, the prices range from 69¢ to $1.12 each. Boxes are $2/ea and up at U-Haul. So glad I found that out before I made a costly decision. I bought 60 boxes yesterday to start. Ten small, 40 medium, and 10 large. I will need at least double that. Isn't moving fun?

Speaking of "fun," the guy who helped me yesterday at Home Depot tried to pick me up. Really. It was flattering but also kind of weird. Especially because I now have his phone number. (At his insistence and it was just easier that way, trust me.) But hey, at least I'm not dead yet. lol

Back to move talk … I've decided to let Alex and Co. off the hook and hire an actual moving company. They will get the job done quicker, will come with multiple hand carts and pads I won't have to rent, and none of us will have to maneuver a big ass truck. Plus, the pricing is pretty darn reasonable since I'm only moving about 2 miles away.

And now the rest of the decent wedding pics …

And have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my job? Yep. Still do. Even though the person who was hired as another me backed out and it's still just me doing the work of ten. Perfectly fine with me, and all the OT is going to pay for my new leather sectional and flat-screen TV, still to be purchased. If only I had time to shop. Catch-22. lol

Another Tease

This is where we had dinner Friday night. That's my sister sitting next to me (she's 6 ft tall and all torso so she always dwarfs me), and my mom sitting next to Tyler. Alex and mom's squeeze Bob were also there, but no photographic evidence bears that out.

I don't really have a lot of pics of me at the wedding, although I'm guessing I'll be in a few of the real ones judging by how many times I nearly tripped over photographers. I'll share some more wedding pics when I catch my breath.

In short, the wedding was beautiful, the reception was a blast, and I probably gained a few lbs this weekend because the food was INCREDIBLE. It was a great weekend. Only to be blasted back to reality Monday morning when we lost power overnight and I had to put on my make-up in the car and then drag my blow dryer, brushes, and hair spray to work to try to tame the bedhead. I arrived before 7 AM because it was either sit at home in the dark or get to work and sneak into the bathroom.

I dropped Tyler at the airport yesterday, after leaving work early and taking my boys to lunch in the "big city." I'll miss him, but I know he's happy so that's really all that matters.

I've got to start packing this weekend, because May is going to be here before I know it. Because I don't have enough to pack, I stopped at Beall's tonight and came home with 4 new tops and a pair of shoes. Am I insane?? Will I ever sew again?? Yes, just not for a while, because the stash closet is about to become packing material. Pun intended.

Home

One pic for now. More later.

More Wednesday Random Ramblings

1. I just sewed.
2. OK, so it was just hemming Alex's pants for the wedding.
3. But I'm counting it.
4. Speaking of the wedding, it's this coming weekend.
5. I took Friday off, to pick up my sister at the airport, and then we'll all drive down to West Palm Beach.
6. This is the first paid vacation day I will have in TWENTY-THREE years.
7. The last one was maternity leave for the Marine.
8. Hah! Time flies.
9. No wonder I'm ancient already.
10. Yesterday was the worst day I've had in a very long time.
11. I lost the rental house via email at 6:50 a.m.
12. I fretted all day.
13. I was so frickin' sick about it, that my stomach was in knots and I couldn't eat a thing.
14. I even weeped in front of a co-worker. Or two.
15. But then it worked out (LONG story short, there was a huge miscommunication).
16. I didn't find out it was back on until 8:45 p.m.
17. Can you say LONG DAY?
18. What upset me the most was having to tell Alex.
19. Thank heaven I didn't have to.
20. And today I was starving. lol
21. I had a hair appointment last night.
22. I would've canceled to go mope except I NEED good hair for the wedding.
23. By the time I left, I was actually all Zen about it all.
24. The house, not my hair.
25. All that wasted worry.
26. I'm probably 55 now.
27. Today was the complete opposite.
28. And boy did I appreciate the difference.
29. Important lawyers, the CFO, and the CMO all praised me in writing (email) for the work I've done on a big project we're in the middle of.
30. No praise for ending sentences with prepositions. lol
31. Plus I wore my new purple/fuchsia print outfit and felt very pretty and girly all day.
32. So maybe I aged back down to 49. ;-)
33. My hair came out great.
34. You know sometimes you get a so-so cut, even though the same person cuts it each time?
35. I needed the great this time and he came through.
36. I still don't have a signed lease, but I'm Zen about it, remember?
37. What is meant to happen, will. And I feel strongly this one is meant to happen.
38. Today is my 25th anniversary.
39. And my last one.
40. Hah.

Potpourri

Like a good Jeopardy! category, this post will be a little bit of everything.

First up, I present my much less piled upon ironing board:

All that remains is (1) a skirt that's too big but I'm keeping because I want to make it again and I'll use this one to judge the size I'll cut next, (2) a green slinky skirt that needs shortening, but I haven't decided if I'm willing to tackle the slinky again so I'm giving it more time, (3) a dress that I'm going to cut off to a skirt, (4) a too-big top, the print on top, which I want to remake into a smaller tee because I'm not ready to give up the print, and (5) the houndstooth skirt hanging off the side, but it's wool so it can wait a few months to see what size I am then.

Everything else was either put in the donate pile or I altered or finished or whatever it needed. Yay me, and less to pack.

This is the scrap pile from the alterations. And oh, that pretty print jacket I never wore should be in the ironing board pile too. I want to save the fabric and make a gored skirt from it.

First remake is this green skirt, after I decided it matched my new RTW top perfectly. I never did wear the skirt/top outfit I made last summer and it was huge now. I spent an hour picking out the coverstitched hem, the many, MANY coverstitched/topstitched panels, and the coverstitched elastic waist. I finally found a foolproof "reverse" coverstitching method that I'll share at a later time, for when you KNOW you're ripping out in the right direction but it still ain't working. I ended up sewing 14" out of the panel seams in total. Amazing, but now I have much skinnier panels. lol And now that my knees aren't so fat, I also shortened it about 6" cuz I'm thinking the shorter hems are more youthful for my ancient self. Oh, and more summery.

I hemmed this white drape-neck top I made a few weeks ago and shortened the RTW skirt 3" so I wouldn't have to keep wearing it up at my bra. ;-)

I took in the sideseams of this top about 12" total from the armpits downward. Unfortunately, the sleeves are still too big so I may cut them to short sleeves or I may still put it in the donate pile. But I didn't want to toss it without giving it a go. No, I won't wear it with the green skirt.

Another Walmart $15 dress. I did nothing but cut off the tags and wear it today. And received 2 compliments. Here, I look like I have no waist because the waistband doesn't photograph well. In person, it's totally flattering (hence the 2 compliments!), and the skirt is very swingy. I've lost more lbs. and this one is size 12. Woot!

Another Walmart purchase. It's a top and skirt, so I'll definitely get wear out of both pieces since I can wear the top on weekends with denim and white capris. Size 12 again.

The same top as above, same size, but a different print. There was no matching skirt available. This will most likely be weekend wear.I'm wearing two earrings but only one is showing.

Goofy face. Bright orange top, because I love me some orange. Definitely weekend, maybe office, especially if I do turn that print jacket above into a skirt.

First choice for necklace for the wedding. There are matching dangle earrings. The bluish tint to the beads will look good with the teal dress and the whole thing sparkles more than appears here, but not so much as to be too much. The cascade keeps the open feel/look of the sweetheart neckline of the dress.

Second choice if I decide to go for more sparkle, but I'm leaning toward this being a bit over the top. My sister will weigh in when we're together on Friday.

And now I'm actually contemplating trying on some of my bathing suits because my sister wants to lay by the pool at the hotel on Saturday. OMFG. ;-)