Quilting Here I Come…

Well I’ve done it. I signed up for My First Quilt Workshop at The Old Craft Store. It’ll be one day a week for the next 4 weeks and at the end I’ll have completed a small quilt – big enough to wrap the first grandbaby in (whenever he/she may come) or to use as a sofa throw or wall hanging.
Another reason I need my “nest” empty now, I need the room for all my stuff and the kids are way overdue on leaving - I plan on making one room my guest/library room and the other will be my sewing/scrapbooking/all-around craft room. Again don't understand those ladies who get depressed over having time to finally do what they want. What did you want to do before you became a mom - do it now. Life is short, bring the experience around to a positive light.
I nixed the idea of inviting my mom, she’d want me to pick her up, etc. and I’ll barely have time to get there from the office before class starts. Plus I don't think her sewing machine is one of those you can tote around and we need to bring our own machine for this one. I’ll also need to stock up on Slim Fast or something to drink on the way there as dinner will be out of the question and by the time I get out of there it will be too late to eat (don’t like to eat past nine at night). I’ll have some me time (hard to come by in a full house) and perhaps make some new friends, yikes and I’ll have to take a change of clothes, not too comfortable to be sewing in my work clothes. Hopefully this doesn’t turn out to be more stressful than fun. It is only one day a week though for four weeks. I can handle that.
Once I’ve learned the proper quilting process, my next project will be to make a t-shirt quilt out of all those old t-shirts that I’ve kept for the kids - T-shirts from camp, girl scouts, boy scouts, sports, school spirit, and vacation souvenir t-shirts.

Reviving an old hobby..

A few years ago I purchased a new sewing machine. I had sewn a lot when my kids were young making nursery items and as they grew I also sewed their play clothes and Halloween costumes. As I began working full time and the kids got busy with activities I no longer had time to pursue this hobby. Attending the state fair one year I came across a sewing exhibition that featured all sorts of sewing machines. I became inspired and later went to my nearest Joann's crafgt store and purchased one hoping to get back into sewing if nothing else for mending clothes and the like. I became so frustrated with trying to figure out how to get the bobbin to work I gave up and set it aside. The machine sat there for a couple of years gathering dust until a few weeks ago when I came across some free beginner sewing classes at the store where I purchased the machine. I became excited about sewing again and using their embroidery equipment and my machine for the embellishment made this little Easter drawstring bag. I did get a little discouraged when the fanciest stitch I had on my machine was this little double zig zag. Everyone else had much fancier machines with stitch options such as ivy, hearts, swirls, etc. Needless to say I was easily swayed to purchase an upgrade of my machine to get some fancier stitches. I found a place called The Old Craft Store that teaches beginners to quilt and can't wait to use my new machine and begin sewing in earnest again. My mother used to love to sew and I wish she had the confidence to attend classes like these to get back into it as well and so she can make new friends. That was something that really stood out to me that in the classes I attended and even when visiting The Old Craft Store, I saw no Latina's or anyone from any other culture. Growing up many women from our family and my mother's circle of friends sewed so it's bizarre to me that I see very few women of other culture's at craft stores (and I live in a large multi-cultural city). It's so satisfying to work on something that eventually comes together into something that can be used or worn for generations to come. Perhaps I'll get my mother to come along, she would like the mother/daughter time anyway.

God works.....

in mysterious ways. I was running late getting off work so i knew i wouldn't be making it to the Mass for Ash Wednesday. Had just enough time to get dinner made and take my daughter to to help out at the Wednesday night CCD. The place was super packed - people standing out the door not able to fit into the church that's how crowded it was. It might have helped if they had scheduled a second Spanish Mass but since this was the only one the whole world seemed to be there. So after dropping my daughter off I drive back home - as usual I'm going a bit fast and almost missed seeing a little old lady sitting on the edge almost of her driveway and waving frantically. I quickly stopped and rolled down my window to ask if she needed help and turns out she had fallen while taking out the trash into that sitting position and couldn't get herself up. Lord only knows how long she had been sitting out there hoping someone would come by and help her. I kept picturing my own mother who also lives alone and although there are many helpful neighbors around, if none of them happen to go outside she could be stuck for hours in a bad situation. I helped her up and got her standing and she mentioned she still had another trash bag to take to the curb. Once I knew she was steady on her feet I left her in the driveway and went and got her other trash bag and took it to the curb. She appeared to be living all alone as well. Her little pomeranian dog came to the garage door and yapped at me but wouldn't go any farther - some help he would have been. Couldn't bark loud enough for even the neighbors to hear. I knew God had directed me down that street to help her as I usually go home a different way. I know many people have helped my mom out when she was in a bind and I was glad I could pay it forward to someone else and this lady was not seriously hurt thank goodness. If I couldn't be in Mass tonight I'm glad I was able to be in his service by helping out a neighbor.

What Empty Nest?

Most people’s children leave the nest when they turn 18. Some leave for college or travel the world and others just to be in their own place. I constantly read or hear about so many mothers upset about empty nest syndrome – feeling their lives now have no meaning and they have nothing to do since their children are gone. I envy those women with empty nests! My youngest will be graduating from high school this year and just like her older brother and sister – she will not be leaving to go off on her own. The same as it was for me and my two sisters – however unlike my mother who did not want us to leave and did everything to prevent it – I DO want my children to go out and spread their wings. Alas the economy among other things has kept them at home while they work and go to school. Grandma (my mom) is no help either constantly telling them they don’t need to go off into a dangerous world and should stay home until they marry, etc. as is the tradition in our culture. And while most moms would probably be thrilled to still have her “babies” at home – I am not. Having married young (19) to get out of the house and had children young (21) at the insistence of my husband, I was looking forward to some ME time and trying to improve the relationship with my husband and having some fun. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE my children but what once was a perfect house for a mom, dad and three small children is definitely not the case now that we are five adults. And to make it even worse we only have 1 ½ baths with the main bath only accessible from our bedroom! With everyone working odd hours and needing to take showers also at odd hours – needless to say it ruins the mood. And again the economy doesn't help making buying a bigger house out of the question right now. I long for the day when I can stay in my PJs all day Saturday….watch an R rated movie without feeling uncomfortable if the kids walk in during a sex scene….be spontaneous in the bedroom, living or kitchen for that matter….a whole day of uninterrupted work on any one of my many hobbies…be able to take off on a moment’s notice for a three-day fun-in-the-sun weekend. There is so much to do and see out in the world that I not only long for the day I have an empty nest but for the day I can retire from work to devote more time to experience everything. A great article in the New York Times sums it up best - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/health/20well.html?em.

Ash Wednesday

Not having had a very good Catholic upbringing I’m not sure what we should be doing on this day other than going to Mass, getting ashes on our forehead and not eating beef or chicken. The reason I say I didn’t have a good Catholic upbringing was because yes we went through all the obligatory motions of going to Mass every Sunday, participating in the various events at Church and attending CCD (Sunday school) but I never knew the why of a lot of our rituals and traditions and I never asked. This is what my parents said we did and we obeyed without question – didn’t question anything back in those days. I didn’t pay attention to what the priests said because frankly they were boring and I couldn’t relate to anything that they said to my life and how to apply it. As I followed the same pattern with my family, the cycle continues of this is what we do because it’s always been done, end of story. I think it’s sad that most of us do not have the knowledge that we should about our Catholic faith. And I find more fulfillment and knowledge when I attend other faith sponsored events instead of at ours. Don’t get me wrong ours leave you feeling good and can restore the spirit but I don’t always feel that I know the why behind things and how can I do this on a regular basis at home, must everything always take place at church only to “count.” I have found some great resources at Women of Faith (not for catholic) and the Magnificat Breakfast and Dr. Italy’s Web site. Now I just need to discipline myself and get back into regularly practicing my faith. I haven’t even decided what I’ll give up/sacrifice this year. And if we should not go about with sad faces demonstrating our “suffering” of having to give up chocolate or whatever and meat on Fridays why is it ok to go around with the ashes on our forehead all day long for the world to notice. I know that’s the ritual but it seems contradicting. So it is we shall get Ashes on our forehead and another season of lent begins.

Traditions...

This season of holidays and traditions is one of my favorites. I get to mix Mexican and American traditions, new and old traditions. When my family first came to the states, they brought not much but the clothes they had and the excitement of a new land with new opportunities. They embraced everything American and immediately sought to learn the language and customs. They made the trek every year back to Mexico to visit family and once my sisters and I were old enough, we began to go at Christmas time as well. The Christmas customs and celebrations were unlike anything we had seen before. There were no Christmas trees, Santa Claus or even gifts, just a deep respect and joy for celebrating the birth of Jesus.
As I grew and had my own family I wanted my children to experience and learn the true meaning of the season and that it’s not all about material gifts. Although they have experienced a Christmas in Mexico, I have incorporated some of the traditions and customs I witnessed on our visits with family. In addition to a Christmas tree we also have a statue of baby Jesus in our living room and pray the rosary on Christmas Eve. My children have grown up with two cultures and the traditions of each. As they get older and we all get busier some traditions have had to fall by the wayside or adjusted due to time constraints or dietary restrictions. As others have experienced, in this economy the tradition of presents has been cut back and the focus is more on family time and the religious aspect as it should be. There will be one family gift this year (the much sought after Wii) that will hopefully have us playing and spending more time together all through the year. As I have incorporated these traditions into my family, I have received feedback that some of them are not followed through as should be….are the “tradition” rules set in stone? Who makes these rules? For instance this year we all gathered at mom’s to celebrate Christmas and I forgot to bring my baby Jesus for when we prayed the rosary. My mom insists I must now pray the rosary to it. Mind you I was the one who brought this tradition back into our family as she and my dad did not carry this on in all the years I lived at home. What happens if I don’t end up praying the rosary, will lightning strike me, am I condemned to the fires of hell for eternity? Who is to say - and whether I follow the tradition by the letter or have some slip ups along the way my goal is to create a special Christmas memory for my children and family regardless if tradition was strictly followed. This is probably why some traditions are no longer done. I’m curious as to what other families have done. Have they changed up their traditions due to time, new customs, etc? What are the favorites? Please share your thoughts, experiences.

A Winner….in more ways than one.

Last night’s Biggest Loser found Michelle Aguilar as the Season 6 winner. In all she lost a total of 110 pounds beating out the others percentage wise to take home the big money. Michelle entered the contest with her mom. The two had gone through some tough times and Michelle barely knew her mom and hadn’t spoken to her in years. As the show progressed they were able to get to know each other and clarify misunderstandings and come to terms with hurt feelings from past actions. Michelle not only gained her health back through the weight loss and some money, but most importantly she gained back that relationship with her mom. This local girl did good! I’d say this Christmas will be the best ever for Michelle and her family. She is a winner in more ways than one.