Sunday, December 28, 2008

xmas08

That's the license plate of the truck that just hit me... xmas08. The last week has been filled with wonderful moments, and also some that made me say (and not in a good way), "Really? Really?!" (Gotta love this season of Saturday Night Live...)

Thursday 12/18: Last day of school/work, and expecting a big snow storm and an extra day to get Christmas stuff done at home. One week to go, lots of time to finish my to-do list. No problem. (Insert sound of God laughing.)
Friday 12/19: 8" of snow later, DD and I spent a few hours on her Christmas dress. She sat in front of me and worked the pedal SLOWLY (I didn't know machine could go that slow without stopping!), pausing to remove pins, and keeping the edge of the fabric lined up at the 5/8" mark. She also transfered some markings with the water soluble marker, and DH took some video of the momentous occasion (first unaided stitched with a real machine).

Saturday 12/20: Wake up to the sounds of DD sick with the flu. Within moments, DS is right next to her participating also. DH headed off to work ("Call me if you need me...") and it was not a fun day. Laundry, and lots of it. More snow.

Sunday 12/21: Kids slightly recuperated, had Christmas jobs to finish for clients. Very little "fun" sewing. More snow, probably over a foot at this point.

Monday 12/22: I wake up with the flu. Really?!? Really?!? Why am I surprised? Entire day wasted.
Tuesday 12/23: Did I mention I wasn't done shopping? DD and I are well enough to fight the crowds at Costco where we fill up the cart with essentials and party staples. Couple more errands, naps (me, too!), and the test stitch out for FIL's shirt. Oh yeah, we were confident it was a 1971 Challenger, but just to be safe we called to confirm, and good thing we did. It's a 1970. If you've ever seen "The Bucket List", it's the yellow car Jack Nicholson is racing.

Wednesday 12/24: Christmas Eve! Yes, I can sew today. Actually, make that, "I HAVE to sew today." FIL's gift should be finished when he opens tonight, and DD's Christmas dress needs another sleeve and a hem. Finishing just in time, both get done and turn out great! (Reviews for another day...) For him, Simplicity 4287, and for her Simplicity 3668. She wanted to copy a dress from "Imagination Movers" that Nina wears for the Christmas party, and we did pretty well. Didn't have the peppermint striped tights, but we did put her hair up!
I return home after the party, leave out cookies, chocolate milk, and carrots for Mr. Santa, tuck the rugrats in, and get to work wrapping. No, I hadn't wrapped a single item at this point. So, at 1:30 am, I crawl into bed.

Thursday 12/25: Merry Christmas!!! DD arrives home a half-hour early from work. A special surprise for the kids? No, silly readers... the FLU!!! (Really?!? Really?!?) The kids arise, and open presents, and Daddy makes it through, then disappears to bed to rest and recuperate. Thankfully, he had nowhere to be that day and we weren't expecting company! Putting toys together and taking care of DH, but no sewing. I did get some sewing tools though, and am eager to put them to work! (Another post, too!)

Friday 12/26: Crunch time. I will be hosting my family (40 people) the next day and the house needs major rehab. Cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. Forecast: 60 degree temps tomorrow. Huh? As they say here in Michigan, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes."

Saturday 12/27: Party time. The family is healthy, the house has been disinfected, and we are ready for guests. Being the last of 9, and having all but one sibling not live in the area, this crowd is immediate family: Brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, great-grandkids, and this year a good number of "significan others". It was a great end to a horrible week, and now I sit in my peaceful home, looking out the window at green grass, and wondering what's in store for 2009...

My next sewing project is to finish a shirt for DH that was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but got postponed too far back. It's BWOF 9/08 #145, and just needs sleeves and a hem. So, I'm headed downstairs to make that happen, then it's onto something fun. I think I've earned it! I hope your Christmas was smoother than mine, and that you had a chance to do some "fun sewing". Happy New Year!

7 comments:

Amanda S. said...

As they say here in Michigan, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes."

That's surprising. We say that here in Texas as well. One day it's 80 degrees, the next it's 30.

Christmas is always hectic for me as well. I'm always so glad it's over. Next year maybe I'll get started sooner...

Anonymous said...

My Christmas was so different from yours and I feel so bad for you! The flu times four, emergency sewing, massive snowfall, etc. etc. My goodness!!! I spent the last five days quietly in my sewing room. That really sums it all up. Maybe you should come down to Texas for a little recuperation! I will gladly make a little space for you in the sewing room! It's quiet here, if you don't mind the two feline sewing 'helpers'.

Dawn said...

Your Christmas sounds like my Thanksgiving where I lost 9 pounds while trying to help my kids hit the barf bucket. That, and we were up at the cabin so it was outhouse and honey bucket time. Yuck!

I'm glad everything went off okay and you had a good time! Happy Holidays!

Dana said...

And that's supposed to be your vacation, right? Yikes. Hope you can fit in some R&R time this week!

Summerset said...

Yikes! I have had some weeks like that - holidays and all! Both pieces you showed turned out fantastically well - you should be pleased. I do hope 2009 goes better!

Bunny said...

Oh, my! Such trials and tribulations!
The shirt looks awesome and I love the final design you decided on for the embroidery. Just perfect.
I hope you are all back to snuff real soon and get to enjoy at least a little vakay time for yourself.

luckylibbet said...

What a great present for FIL! So glad he liked it. Your Christmas sounds like par for the course for us - dinner for 40 and only four VOLUNTEER for cleanup. You betcha, more GET volunteered willy nilly!

And thanks for some great posts this past year - looking forward to your new ones as the year progresses.