Grace is not my middle name....

I started to write this post out yesterday, but unfortunate events intervened.....
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I finished the first of my many projects with the tons of fabric I bought on clearance at JoAnn's last week! I don't know if I mentioned it but I had gone in on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and bought some fabric and didn't realize until I got it home that all clearance fabric was an additional 50% off - so the fabric I thought I was paying 4-5 bucks a yard was really half that. I went back on Monday and bought a bunch more on the last day of the sale - it was too cheap to pass up and now I have all this fabric to play with! I just wish I had more time.

I bought a few patterns at their $1.99 sale, too. So, my first project was a skirt for R. It was a McCall's pattern and I don't always have good luck understanding the way they like to do things (I prefer Simplicity patterns) but this one was labeled Very Easy so I thought I'd give it a try. Turned out to be one of the easiest patterns I've ever encountered. Maybe they have some new people in the division of their company that is involved in writing out the directions - or maybe I just lucked out for once with their patterns.

One of the fabrics I found was a beautiful blue, shiny, embroidered number with a finished edge - yay, no need to hem it! Here's a close-up of the fabric and it's pretty edging (taken without flash):


And here is the finished product (taken with flash so it shows up a little more shiny than real life):



I had to do some minor tweaking on the waist because R is built like Rick and she is a beanpole. I had cut the pattern to fit a size 7 waist and a size 8 in length (because she is so darn tall and is in a phase where her skirts and dresses need to be long). But, even the size 7 was a wee bit too big so I brought the side seams in a little and it worked like a charm! R is thrilled with her new skirt and I am thrilled with how well it came out - I even did a great job on the zipper (something that doesn't always seem to work out the way it is supposed to even when I think I am following the directions to the letter!).

My next project a cute little flouncy skirt for A in an adorable pink boucle tweed fabric...

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And so, that WAS my plan - but alas, life...and my lack of poise and basic body awareness....has intercepted and created a temporary road block on many projects. I don't know how much sewing I'm going to get done over the next week (or two or six). I was rushing to set the table last night so that I could read the girls a story before dinner was ready and I bashed the little toe of my left foot on the leg of one of our dining room chairs. OUCH! Man, it hurts.

I am completely lame. In more ways than one. I can't believe I managed such a stupid, clumsy maneouver AND I absolutely cannot walk on it AT ALL. I am literally hopping around on my right foot (and wreaking havoc on my right knee while I'm at it, I'm sure). I am so frustrated that this had to happen. I can't do ANYTHING, yet there is so much that needs to be done -- this week in particular. I have the first PGO meeting tomorrow night that I had hoped to attend. School is having a "Welcome Back" picnic on Wednesday night that I wanted to go to with just R (for some mommy and me bonding time) and we were going to make cookies to bring for the bake sale that night and I had offered to help with a 30-minute time slot at said bake sale table. Ugh. Then, there are just the every day things of getting lunches packed, picking up Eliza (and racing after her if she is getting into something dangerous which is a common occurence at least 982 times a day - or so it seems), driving A to and from preschool (and I'm missing her first day of gymnastics today), walking to the bathroom, etc...

ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!

I must, however, count my blessing because I have a husband who is capable of all these things and who is able to send an email to work to say "sorry - needed at home due to accident at home involving my wife, her toe and her lack of grace." Well, ok, so he didn't say that but he may as well have - I'm feeling rather dumb and uncoordinated at the moment but I tend to be my own worst enemy - hence the self-inflicted wounds I cause upon myself. Note: I told Rick about the email comment and found out that what he actually emailed to his co-workers was, in part:

"Wife - 0; Chair -1"

Har-har. Yep - the chair won on that round.

I have a doctor's appointment for 4:45 (such a shitty time seeing as it is around the time we usually get started on making dinner). And I'm sure I'll just hear - "Sorry, nothing we can do to help. You just need to rest it until it feels better." I hope to at least score some crutches or something to stop the incessant hopping. I feel like a demented, one-footed Easter Bunny - and it's not even the right season.

I'd better hop off to the couch and continue to rest this foot. I am going to go stir-crazy before this day is over. Lord help me.