Weekend come and gone.

Well another holiday weekend has come and gone. I was able to get some of the things on my to-do list done – like replacing Mom’s door, getting my daughters’ charm bracelet (her graduation gift), and I finished my first quilt top!! I started another blog for the sewing projects - http://sewit.wordpress.com/. As soon as I can I’ll post a photo, I still need to actually put the batting in, the backing and then bind it all together, I need to take two other additional classes for that. Hope to have it all completed by end of summer along with some other sewing projects. You can check it all out there.
I was hoping to get my garden going this weekend but just didn’t happen. Probably won’t get to that till mid-June and it may be too late for some veggies, but since we are in Texas I think they’ll probably still do good since our summer usually drags on until at least October.
Next week is my youngest daughter’s graduation. She opted to have a charm bracelet instead of the usual class ring. She will get more use out of it. How many people actually wear their class ring past their senior year anyway? I added three charms – 2009, Virgin de Guadalupe and a longhorn (her high school mascot). Her big sis pitched in for a fourth charm – a peace sign – cause the little one is a wanna be hippie. Due to all our family drama we probably will end up not doing anything. Why does everything have to be so complicated? I’d like to do a brunch but we don’t even have a table and chairs for people to sit in and if we take everybody out, well that can get very pricey. So it may just be the five (or four if my son is still ticked) that go out to lunch that day or the next. I can’t wait till I have my empty nest and they are all living out their own family lives. Till then I just take it one day at a time.

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.

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.