Hi-Tech Nuns and Harry Potter

This morning I went to hang out with the old people, and it was lovely as usual.  We made some bracelets, watched part of an old Cary Grant movie and ate Christmas cookies for breakfast.  A perfect morning.

Towards the end of my visit, I spied a nun who came to spread Christmas cheer.  She brought a friend with her, and at one point the Sister said to her friend, "Just shoot me a text on my cell."  My reaction was a bit something like this:

...Shocked and clutching a land line in a scrumptious mock turtleneck.  I guess I just never think of nuns as being hi-tech.  I picture them living a simplistic old-fashioned kind of life--praying the rosary, serving those in need, and occasionally smacking the back of a young wrist with a ruler.

And it made me think, this nun is even more hi-tech than I am.  I am 27, currently not residing in a convent, and yet still use the old land line as my primary mode of telephone communication.  I do own a $10 trac-phone (at the insistence of my husband, in case my car breaks down somewhere...sensible enough).  And while I have been known to use it occasionally (even the 25-cent text feature), most of the time it sits in the bottom of my purse, either dead or off.  I'm trying to get better about this.  Whatever, I'm not much of a phone-talker anyway.  Thank goodness for good old-fashioned email and facebook!  Maybe someday I will be as hip as the nun with the smart phone.

Where does Harry Potter come into all this?  He comes in on a riddikulusly unrelated note, of course.  (Ahem, I do know how to spell ridiculously...previous spelling was for the enjoyment of the Potter turbo-fans.)  As we all know, 'tis the Christmas season, and this year I got one of those "wild hairs" to make a random Christmas sewing project.  Unashamedly, I present you with my Harry Potter Christmas pillow...

These are a couple of simple lines from the first movie, only ashamedly, I got them backwards on my pillow.  Oops!  Oh well.

I wish you a very Happy Christmas!

The Secret to Making Housework Fun

I've discovered the secret to making household chores fun...Broadway.

I challenge you, nay--dare you, to do dishes without breaking into spontaneous song and dance while listening to this on full blast.

I am like the girl with the guitar at 2:33.   Yes, I will get these dishes done while rocking out on my air guitar!  If you were easily able to resist Conrad Birdie, try not dancing to this one...

  

I love that Family Guy did a tribute to Shipoopi (The Music Man).  I've always been a fan of Family Guy, but when they did this, it really sealed the deal for me.

Anyway, listening to/dancing to show tunes while doing chores makes it so much more entertaining for me.  And so much more embarrassing for my husband.  I have to be careful, though.  I am very tempted to take my show tunes along with me to my least favorite chore (grocery shopping).  I know it would make it a million times more bearable, but I also know that I would probably be escorted out of Schnucks for disrupting the peace due to doing high kicks and barrel rolls down the cereal aisle.

I do own a pair of tap shoes (REALLY hoping to take a tap class someday--hint, hint to anyone racking their brain for a good Christmas gift for me).  I think it would be hilarious to take my show tunes and tap shoes to Schnucks.  Can you just imagine, holding on to your cart, tap dancing up and down the aisles, in your own little world?  The acoustics would be amazing.

Someday.

For now, I leave you with a recent sewing project, and something funny my dad said.

Golf bag for Little Sis

And the funny thing my dad said...

Me to Mom (on the phone): Hey, I blogged my shorts for you to see.
Dad (in the background): Don't worry, Ree.  I blogged my shorts once, too, but it came out with bleach.

Good one, Dad.

My Favorite Sewing Project Ever: Walker Bags

I have a new sewing project that's ongoing and very near-and-dear to my heart.  Walker bags.

Every time I say or write "walker bags", I think of this guy.  We all know how epic he is.  Can you believe that he is 71 years old nowadays?  A few years down the road Walker may be needing his very own walker bag.  Or perhaps a few decades down the road; after all, he is Chuck Norris.

Some of you may be wondering what exactly a walker bag is.  Basically, it's a bag that is attached to the top bar of a walker.  Quite the description, I know.  These bags are useful for a few reasons:

1. To stow away essential items like Kleenex (new or used), cookies, an extra pair of reading glasses, word searches, peppermints, hot pink lipstick, etc.
2. To be able to clearly recognize your own walker (walker mix-ups are a huge problem in many elderly communities).
3. To walk with flair.

A couple of times a week I visit a lovely group of elderly people in a nearby Assisted Living.  They are wonderful.  When I first started visiting this particular place, I spotted a few residents who were walking without flair (and repeatedly heard the common question, "Which walker is mine?").  Solution: walker bags.  This is an easy sewing project AND a great way to connect with the elderly.  

Before making the bag, I talked with the resident and got the necessary info (their favorite color, what they like to carry around with them, and of course their life story because that's always fascinating).  Sewing the bag is super easy and fast; some great tutorials can be found online.  Find the one that would best suit the person's needs and tweak it as needed.   Voile.   

Without further adieu, here is the recipient of my very first walker bag, Gigi.

This woman is spunky and no-nonsense.  She now has her walker bag filled with all the essentials and that makes me so happy.

Gigi's walker bag.

Here's another one, more compact...

Cathy, one of the sweetest and most intelligent people I know.

I've made a couple more and can't wait to do even more of these!  However, in the future, I'd like to sweeten the deal by delivering the waker bag filled with the recipient's favorite goodies.   This ongoing sewing project warms my heart unlike any other.   I learn so much from these people and always walk away rejuvenated.  

And, really, I do have so much to learn.  One of my best friends, Kristy, and I have plans to move in together when we're old ladies and relive The Golden Girls.  She is Dorothy Zbornak and I am Rose Nylund. Her sister Wendy is Sophia.  We're still looking for our Blanche.  Any takers?

Thank you for being a friend...

A Couple of Sewing Fails

It is my dream to one day sew a dress.  And I will wear that homemade dress to some fancy event, like a wedding or Christmas party or the like.  Maybe just around my house on a lazy Sunday.  Who knows?

Earlier this year, around prom season, I was looking around the internet at different "Make Your Own Prom Dress" competitions and was floored at the talent these young gals had (like this one...you go, girl!).    I have a sneaking suspicion that if I tried to sew my own prom dress in high school, it would have turned out something like this (if I was lucky):

I'm slowly working my way up to this dream.  First, I made my little sis a nightgown that looked more like a muumuu.  My next "sew my own clothes" project was a peasant tank top.  I got the free pattern from SewMamaSew.com, and rushed through it because I really like instant gratification.  The outcome was fairly instant, but not so much gratifying...

What's so wrong with this one, you ask?  Wait for it...

Boom.  Side view.  Makes me look like I'm 7 months pregnant.  Yikes.

I took a little vacation from sewing my own clothes.  Until a couple of weeks ago.  I figured, "What's the harm in whipping up a quick pair of pajama shorts?"  After all, we all had to sew a pair of pajama shorts in 8th grade Home Ec.  And those turned out okay...if you have an asymmetrical butt.  So, I followed an old pattern that Grandma Alice gave me, and went with size medium.

Two thumbs down.

Balloon shorts.  A good breeze and I would've been up in the clouds.  And it has twisted elastic in the waistband.  My husband got a good laugh out of them, though, so not all was lost.  I did try to take them in a bit, which helped slightly.  But pajamas are all about comfort, right?  

Speaking of comfort...

Dear Santa Claus, please swing by Walgreens and pick me up a Forever Lazy and I will be Forever Grateful.  Love, Ree