I Dream of Seams

I wanted to introduce you to my new friend. This was bequeathed to me from my sweet mother-in-law and has sat unused in my home for quite some time.

1973 Singer Sewing Machine

#1 will be turning 1 in a little more than a month. It's hard to believe. Of course I've been trying to stir up my creativity to come up with a theme for her birthday party and the plans that go along with that. (In our family that means coming up with a date that will sort of work for all of the major players. In short, the equivalent to getting Congress and the Senate (or whoever) to agree on a plan to reduce debt/raise the debt ceiling for the country.) The date was set months ago. I have also decided to try to make a birthday dress for her to wear, which is insane. Do you know why it's insane? I never took Home Ec much to Turtle's dismay, and much to my dismay Turtle actually made an A in Home Ec and neither one of his sisters were very good at Home Ec. 

So I got a pattern off the internet for a reversible jumper dress, ordered some fabric online and enlisted my mother-in-law to help me with this project. Bless her. I'm proving to be a quick learner but at times I feel like the Karate Kid as she gently reminds me, "Presser foot. Presser foot." It tends to stay a little warm in our bonus room where the machine is but it creates an atmosphere similar to a Vietnamese sweatshop. Hey, good for productivity right? 

I'm apprehensive but hopeful about the dress project. I'm afraid we chose the wrong pattern size for #1 and project #2 might end up being matching bloomers to go under the dress but it's all about finding solutions and not dwelling on problems. I'm sure it won't be perfect. I keep reminding myself it's not about being perfect but more about the effort and the memory that it will create. 

A few things I didn't realize. Picking patterns online is difficult because you don't have a true concept of what the "scale" of the pattern really is. You can use almost any fabric (quilting, etc) to make clothes. A seam ripper might turn out to be your best friend sometimes. I know what a backstitch is. I am excited to sew more and even though my machine is a little elderly it appears to be able to do lots of things. The original manual was still in the drawer. 

I'm sure that this will not be my first/last project at all. I'm planning on doing the matching bloomers for the dress in case it's too short for my liking and I'm hoping to DIY #1's Halloween Costume. I'll be sure to post the finished product soon. I'm sure the Single Gal wants me to figure out how to construct some simple curtain panels for her too. 

I told the Turtle he has now been assigned to create the "smash cake" for #1. I'm sure I will micro-manage it, like all good housewives. Anyone else trying something new? 

Wordless Wednesday From The Single Gal

Ok...maybe a few words.

Dinner! White beans, dried cranberries, avocado and balsamic vinaigrette.  It was okay. My avocado was a leetle too ripe.

 New Running stuff! Shoes, Headsweats visor, and reflective Yankz because we have been running in the dark a lot.

 The Housewife said Hogan was stinky.  In the tub he went. 

A little happier.  

New pretties from Ann Taylor.  Blue shirt for my photo shoot with Hogan coming up in October and finally a striped shirt that I really like. I had to jump that bandwagon. 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

Things You Do When You Don't Have a Boyfriend #247 - Home Projects

So, I know y'all are going to think The Housewife invaded my body after this post, and well, it's clearly possible.  The Housewife has really been getting into a lot of home projects lately and has inspired me to do the same.  As I am sure you would realize, being the Single Gal that I am, I am on a single income.  I bought a new town home 2 1/2 years ago and am always struggling to decorate some little area to make my house a little more "homey" and a little more "me". But, it's hard to go out, look pretty, keep Hogan in his special prescription food, and also keep up the house. Mercy-- that Little Baby Jesus expects a lot from me. 

Anyway, The Housewife and I also religiously stalk the "Young House Love" blog and here is my little tribute to The Housewife and also some of our internet DIY'ers -- sprucing up an old vanity that I have been using as a desk for years and seriously diving into some color. 

Desk Before: 

*note, please excuse the terrible iPhone photo. I wasn't inspired for an actual post about this until later. (Clearly it's a boring week and I'm reaching for material.)

So...What to do with the desk? The Housewife and I discussed and we went for something bold for a few reasons -- #1 You can always re-paint it if you hate it.  #2 - Anything pink is awesome and lovely. 

Luckily, Big John owns a painting company so he sent me over to Sherwin Williams for some primer and paint--and even let me put it on the account! Go Dad!  I really agonized over which pink was The. Most. Perfect. Pink. Ever. and I am awful at committing to anything decor wise in my house unless someone tells me that it does in fact, look good.  

The winning pink of all pink swatches was -- Eros Pink.  

And here we go with a sort of step-by-step: 

In the garage and primed! 

That's right. I am mother-freaking crafty, bitches.

A few days later the Eros Pink went on (two coats).  Wow--super pink. Looks awesome in the garage but will I hate it inside???

After this I went to Hobby Lobby to find some drawer pulls and after much frustration with even trying to locate them I decided on some white, flower looking ones.  These might not be forever, but they will do right now. I didn't absolutely love anything. 

AFTER!

Luckily, I think I am really loving the pink desk. I kind of have a lot going on in my downstairs area with prints and colors, but it doesn't bother me (for now). I am trying to tie everything together with little stuff and in the words of The Housewife -- the desk is like "a statement necklace for the living room". 

For now, this is what I did with that wall: 

*Frame in other chair clearly not permanent.

*I did eventually tie up the lamp cord, mmmK?   

Thoughts? Reviews? All The Housewife did was ask for my leftover paint for a project for #1. 

~the single gal~

Fore

The Single Gal and I had a super busy weekend between Friday's PGA date, a 14 mile run and our 10 year high school reunion Saturday night. Hope you all had super weekends!

Houston.....we have a tooth!

I was really excited to make this discovery a few days ago. After all, most of the grandparents are constantly asking, "Any teeth yet?" They had #1 on her way to being fitted for baby dentures. Now that I know she has actually cut her top right tooth a lot of other things are making sense to me. Like why she only drank half of her bottle for K-Woww when she was baby sitting Saturday night, the horrific diaper rash and even more ridiculous poops. Yes, I am going to talk about poop. Why? Probably because I have to use a stupid disposable diaper to medicate the diaper rash when suddenly there is poop all over my living room and all over the baby. WTF. I just looked away for a moment while she was in the safety of toy-ville that is now my living room and apparently there was a poop chaos.

In your mind you really just stop. You are staring at the poop on the carpet and then you stare at the baby and you just can't decide how the hell to proceed immediately. I'm thinking about how much Turtle is going to lose his mind about this carpet fiasco. (It does NOT need to be replaced.) If you spill so much as a grain of salt on that carpet he will launch into a tirade about how it needs to be replaced. So I picked up #1 by her fingers underarms and toted her to the bathtub to strip her down and start cleaning something/someone. Luckily it was time for her nap so I just put her back in clothes and a cloth diaper and put her to sleep. Then off to clean the carpets that will be re-cleaned by Turtle as soon as he gets home because even if I called Stanley Steamer to come it would not be good enough for him. On second thought, I should have just left it for him to clean up when he got home. I mean, I only have to look at the poop if I stay in the living room. He will be home soon.

It sounds like the Turtle owes me a beautiful JCrew cardigan.........riiiiiiiight people???? Actually I never usually have to deal with this thanks to my cloth diapers. All hail cloth and death to disposable (especially Pampers Baby Dry). Hope you all have a poop-free Friday. The Single Gal and I are hitting up the PGATourney tomorrow so we can husband hunt for her.

If you need me.......I will NOT be looking at replacement carpet. You hear me Turtle?

Sunday Funday

In honor of Sunday Funday I wanted to do a "fun" post with fun Single Gal woes like dying over shoes and fun places to eat. Life is too short to be so serious all the time. 

Let's talk about the new JCrew catalogue that just came out.  So many dreamy items that are really testing my shopping addiction.  The one item that really jumped out at me was this:

The Mona Pump

Brick Red Mona Pump

Also in a pretty neutral!

Seriously, if I come into a spare $500 I am buying The Mona in both of these colors.  So classy and beautiful. 

And, while we are coveting things...I am also obsessed with blazers right now.  I could wear this outfit in different colors every day and be happy all of fall! 

While I have been having a lot of success with the rest of my budget, I am admittedly still doing a bit of shopping.  But hey, I decided to go to St. Simons with 3 Putt and I grabbed some swimsuit cover-ups on sale. I can't look frumpy on the beach.  And it's so nice to come home to something--even if it's your sweet dog AND a fun package on the front stoop. 

It's been a great weekend--The Housewife and I ran 12 miles on Saturday morning and did lots of prep to make sure they were 12 good miles. Big focus on hydration since it has been so hot, up early to run at 5 a.m. before the sun was up to beat the heat, and gels/water/Powerade to refuel with during the run.  We made it--and we weren't miserable at all.  (We are coming for you Rock and Roll Marathon!)  The legs feel pretty good today, but I did skip some workouts last week due to scheduling conflicts so I was well rested by Saturday.   

Also, I was finally able to dine at Table 1280--the quaint restaurant and lounge at Atlanta's Woodruff Arts Center.  3 Putt and I had a late reservation which meant that we ended up having the entire restaurant to ourselves which was super fun (thanks to our wonderful server who let us finish our bottle of wine without blinking the lights at us to get out since it was past closing time!).  Great food and ambience--I can't wait to go back!  If you are in Atlanta I highly recommend trying out this lovely location for lunch or dinner. How beautiful is this darling eatery outside the High Museum? 

*Midtown Restaurant Week is August 27th - September 4th and Table 1280 will be participating! 

I topped the weekend off with a fabulous catch-up brunch with The Housewife and E, which was a perfect way to start Sunday Funday.  Good food, girl talk, and much needed coffee. Hope you all did some of your favorite things this weekend, just like me! 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~

The Nature of Being Single

It’s a jungle out there ladies (and gents)--and I am here to say that just like you I am not exempt from the laws of nature, the rules of attraction and even plain old Darwinism (Only. The. Strong. Survive.).  I think a lot of us forget we are literally just pawns in a big chess game where Mother Nature and molecules that make up hormones and other body stuff are playing really dominant roles.  Example: I can’t just sit here and eat all the Trader Joe’s peanut butter pretzels that my heart desires.  Why? Because if I want to “survive” (so-to-speak) and actually beg find someone to like me I need to be fit for myself and fit for a healthy, meaningful relationship with Mr. Right.  But, the older I get, the less simple choosing a mate becomes.  I have more requirements.  I know that I can live just fine on my own. And, for the things I can’t do -- a simple maintenance man for hire will do.  Unfortunately for the Single Gal breed there’s a bit more to it  all for us rather than for these mammals/fishies/birds/whatever.  

Here are some examples of animals that mate for life (apparently monogomy isn’t only for the birds). 

French Angel Fish

 

Some sort of cute-ish owly thing...

Beavers

Whatever species of Parrot this is.

These males basically have two requirements: 1.  To literally bring home “the bacon” and  2. Continue the family name by reproducing.  


It all seems so simple for these other creatures.  Mating.  Attract the other with the following: pretty feathers; bigger feet; prettiest scales; etc. Whatever gets them going, it seems fairly fundamental to me.  Granted, if you’re a Single Gal in one of these relationships and you make the wrong choice in nature it could mean certain death.  Eeek.  Maybe the pressure of society to “find someone” isn’t as bad as I thought?  There is certainly a lot of competition but we human Single Gals seem to be at a disadvantage.  I mean sure, we shop and dress a certain way, fix our hair, get waxed and wear make up along with all that other stuff to attract mates just like our penguin and french angel fish friends. But, we have feelings.  It’s not strictly nature.  It’s like a tornado of psychology, misinterpretation, miscommunication, fear, and the need to survive should it not work out again (Darwin, again my friends).
Yeah these guys look cute and they seriously are said to mate for life...but, French angel fish don’t get a haircut that might go unnoticed by their partner. Penguins don’t have to call each other and say, “How was your day, dear?”.  Swans don’t have to pay bills together.  Beavers don’t get pissed off because one asked the other to take the trash out two days ago and it still isn’t done.  So what's a Single Gal to do? Or any gal for that matter?

~the single gal~