a very bad blogger

ohmygoodgreengravy!! where have i been?!?! not on my blog - that's where. my sincerest apologies, and please bear with me as i play a very wordy catch-up.

so where did i leave off? oh yes... i remember.... the red jacket....

aahhhhh the red jacket... friends, family, various readers, i worked my butt off trying to get that hot little number finished before the impending holidays. seriously. sleep was lost, meals were skipped, hair went unwashed, stress acne abounded... you get the (not very pleasant) picture. and where did that get me? a big fat no where, that's where. you see, as i was desperately dragging ass to the finish line i had a very unpleasant realization. somehow, despite all my careful muslin making, the sleeve caps for my jacket were a good 2 inches too big for the arm hole. no matter how carefully i gathered and steamed those sleeve caps - there was just no way to squeeze in an extra two inches of fabric without getting some seriously poofed shoulders. le sigh...

dear ones, i wouldn't be exaggerating when i say i was in a dark, dark place. for about 30 minutes. then i picked my sorry ass off the floor and figured it was kharma or some such nonsense and that rushing to a deadline just doesn't suit me. so the sleeves will be redrafted, cut, sewn, lined and shoved in those damn armholes this weekend and we'll all (meaning me, myself, and i) move on with our lives.

so the red jacket will get its big reveal in good time. now what else have i been up to? the end of december was a very exciting and stressful time for me. in addition to my sewing debacles i also got some exciting personal news. in a few short weeks i will be fully severing ties with my current job and taking on a new position at an art nonprofit in galveston, tx. i am very excited about this new development for many reasons - and not too low on that list is the end of my hour / hour and a half daily commute. this means that i will gain 2 1/2 hours in my day to do as i please. and i often please to sew!

i traveled back east to spend the holidays with my family and in-laws. i ate, played with my nieces and nephews, ate, caught up with siblings and family, ate, received some awesome (and sewing related) presents, ate, shopped, ate, and generally unplugged from all electronics. and ate. all in all it was everything one could hope for from a family-centric holiday visit.

its very hard at this time of year to not get caught up in the spirit of new years resolutions. one can't help but feel a bit navel-contemplative-y as you gaze back at the year that has just passed, and wonder what this new cycle of time might bring. i don't think i've ever made a new years resolution (at least not out loud). my sister voiced my rather negative views best on new years day when she said, "i don't like resolutions. its just setting yourself up for disappointment." wise words, sister, wise words. similar to my abhorrence to personal deadlines, resolutions just seem like something set up to make you beat yourself up when you feel as if you fall short.

while i don't find planning for the future very useful, i do find it helpful to assess the past. i spent so much of 2011 worrying. worrying about the future. worrying about work. worrying about the wedding. worrying about money money money. and it was all so futile, because things work themselves out. as they always do.

so in 2012 i resolve would like to:
stop worrying so much.
be kinder to myself.
be kinder to my husband.
sew more.
and above all...

be a better blogger.

xo