Umlaut

Since we named our child a letter, I should confess that I've always loved the word umlaut. I love how it sounds like what it does to a vowel: I love its simplistic little sideways-colon-ness. Perhaps someday when we have a pet again, we can name her or him Umlaut, and I'll get to say it all over town.

The cold is wearing me thin here, but I've been making lots of dolls and doing some embroidery, which is sort of new for me (the embroidery, I mean). I'll try to get pictures, though I'm not terribly proud of most of them since they are from patterns or other outside inspiration and not of my own devising. I mean, I'm still proud, just not AS proud.

In other news, I can barely contain my excitement for the new LOST episode on tonight! I so want to be a non-tv person, but it's just not possible with my lifetime companion, so I've caved in and now accept my fate.

V is walking now with a vengeance (hm. Maybe I should tell people that's what the V stands for), and it melts a momma's heart. We are better now, from my whiny last post, and thank you all for your support. I'm still trying to catch up but will very soon be there. To prove I wasn't making it up, though, here's a shot of V in the hospital crib with her Daddy looking on:

I know, I know, it's terrible, isn't it? But at least the sides are down, and she doesn't look so much like a caged zoo animal. Her arm is in the splint to keep her off the IV, which had been removed by the time I took this. And she was just mad for a second and then cheered right up, I swear.

Now, a more normal picture, showing off her sweet haircut and intense stare.

Isn't that better?

Where've you been, my darlings?

So the stomach flu has hit this part of the state with a vengeance. Or at least our part. I had so much posting to do about holiday goodness, but instead, I'm going to fill you gentle readers in on my activities from January 5-12, 2007.

• Friday am: V wakes up vomiting. We are out of town, but after five hours of throwing up we decide we better get her home in case she needs to be hospitalized
• Friday 5pm: V admitted to the children's ward of our local hospital, having vomited over 50 times in 10 hours. In her iron crib with a plastic canopy, I try to get her to play "Boy in a Bubble" until I realize it's not funny.
• Saturday 5pm: V gets discharged, and is much better. I go to to the grocery for jello and pedialyte and come home sick. Violently sick. Stomach pains so severe I repent for sins I haven't even committed yet sick.
• Sunday am: V throws up in her crib, Shaun runs downstairs to call my mom, then sits, trying to take deep breaths, in his chair. (I should note for those of you unfamiliar that Shaun has deep, dreadful anxiety, and much of it is connected to vomiting).
• Sunday at 5: My mom goes home. I feel better, and V has settled down. Shaun proceeds to get sick.
• Monday, 3:30am: Shaun, V, and I go to the ER because Shaun can't stop vomiting. V throws up in the ER. I take her home, sleep 4 hours, and call my mom. Shaun's mom comes Monday night.
• Tuesday: V keeps getting better, I go to work for 4 hours, garner pity with my generally pathetic appearence. I finally get Shaun's psychologist in to see him. Shaun's mom and I hang out, talk about how cool V is, complain about George Bush.
• Wednesday, 6am: My mother-in-law calls out from the guest room to tell me she's sick. I drive the hour and half (twice, for three hour total) to their house before noon to go get my father-in-law, because they only have one car and I can't have a sick mother-in-law on my hands too.
• Thursday: My mother-in-law has gall bladder surgery. We still don't know if she had the flu or if it was just a horribly timed gall bladder attack.
• Friday, 9 pm: Shaun's released from the hospital, but not before I bring V over and let her yell in the hallways near his room, so they have to hurry up the discharge process.

Sorry if this was self-indulgent/not helpful. It helps me to sketch it out, and I feel a little less like this has actually been a 2-month long nightmare when I can see it in a weekly schedule. Shaun is still only working at about 75%, and is exhausted and barely eating, but he's recovering. V is much better, and I just haven't had any time to be sick. There were times in the last two weeks when I felt like I was only still moving forward by gritting my teeth incredibly hard and clenching every muscle in my neck.

So, for those of you wishing for an update from this house, you didn't really want to know, did you? Please if you've tried to contact me recently, know I'm working on getting back to folks and gradually working my way through the backlog. Classes started last week (in the midst of all the horrors) and I'm just now feeling prepared to teach.

In the meantime, a little picture to cheer us all up. Here is V and my mama, who was the only one left standing after all this. I don't know how we would've made it through without her. I am reminded again how good it is to have family just 30 minutes away that I can call, anytime, day or night, and just know they will help make it better.

Hope you had a blessed holiday season, and may this stomach flu give you and yours a wide berth. And may 2007 get better from here on out.

Issue 1, Volume 9

Ah, the namesake of this website's Issue I, V9 is finally back from the printers. Those of you who signed up for my art trade will be getting one, as well as something that involves more glue. Those of you who are regular Languishing (the paper version) subscribers will get one, too...anyone else who wants one can ask, and as long as I have enough leftovers after the subscribers and contributors, I'll keep sending them until I run out. The photo doesn't caputer this, but the cover is a lovely cream color and the pages are coral. It's sort of a dreamsicle issue, and the theme (we rarely have themes, and when we do they are so loose) is Work. Back issues are also available, but I should look into that more and provide more specific detail before I get everyone in a lather over it. I know how you all like to get in lathers.

Perhaps my gentle readers are wondering why I would try to finish this new issue of Languishing during the last week of class. Mostly it's a procrastination tool for me: something distracting and satisfying that keeps me from the utter depression that is 50 research essays by college freshpeople. I actually graded 25 of those last night, and will do the other 25 tonight, so the zine was a welcome, cheering break.

AND! Our digital camera came back from the shop. I didn't mention the fact that it was ailing for fear of pissing off the camera gods even more, but it was covered under warranty and is all better now. Expect more mediocre pictures in blogland, thanks to United Camera Repair in Illinois.
15 months old, and she's just this tiny little person. She is so different from her father and me in so many ways. I love her.

Exciting Opportunity! Kinda!

I saw this on MaryAnn's blog, and now I'm adding it to my blog. The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section) will get some form of art made by me. I haven't posted much of my art on this blog, but trust me, you'll like it. Well, trust me, it'll be different than you expect. Okay, you might not exactly like it, but it will certainly be memorable. And what's not to love about interesting mail??

The only catch, of course: if you sign up, you have to put this in your own blog as well. If you don't have a blog, well, you should, but I'll still send you something just the same, if you write in your comment a good excuse as to why you are not blogging like the rest of the world.

Okay? Exciting, exciting. It might take me a couple of days to send things, because I'm in my last week of classes right now, but don't worry, I won't forget you. Make sure I can reach you through the info you leave on the comment (an e-mail or some such thing) so I know where to send my artwork.

Sweet blogging art world meme. I love it.

Champagne Tastes and a Beer Pocketbook...

I guess I've decided to title my posts of late with songs my father loved. It sounds like a K-Tel compilation, doesn't it? "Songs my father loved...now for only $19.95!"

A tiny picture of the baby, who is 15 months old tomorrow:

My parents, my father, especially, loved to take pictures of us in mirrors. This way he could show my long, flowing, naturally curly hair and my cute pixie face at the same time. I wish we still had that mirror we used for those photos: it was old, a little discolored, and had a wide white frame. For now, we're punting with this unbreakable one, and V seems to dig it.

In other news, new issues of Languishing are finally ready to go to press. Thanks for all who have patiently waited on this...I promise it'll be worth the wait. Well, it'll be better than a poke in the ass with a cold carrot, as Tenessa's dad likes to say.

I won't go huntin' with you Jake....

Quilt retreat, fall 2006. A commissioned baby quilt for Grandpa Glee, for a hunting friend's new son. I made a matching pillow, too, and sent it off before Thanksgiving. It's weird making a present on behalf of someone else...for someone I've never met. But it turned out pretty well, methinks. I used 2 layers of poly batting, backed it in navy blue poplin, and machine quilted in the ditch.

We've been going to quilt retreat up to twice a year for about eight or nine years, and it is a rejuvinating experience everytime. We started because my mom's best friend from college, Kathy, was going with her daughters, Jennifer and Emily, who are roughly our age and whom we've known all our lives. But it's at a Baptist Bible Camp, which does wear on a good atheist girl like me. Every time for the past few years, either my sister or I have struggled, and vowed not to return. But I think we would all miss the seclusion and shared eye-rolling that comes whenever people pray for non-believers or a fellow quilter tells me with a straight face that she "voted for Pat Buchannan for president, because he most closely stand for what I believe in." I don't really spend time with people like that in my real life.

Another photo of quilt retreat: the whole gang: all the people connected to Kathy. The clown noses are because it was a circus theme. That's me in the upper lefthand corner, and yes, I'm pissed off. But that's another post.

Mmm. That's good foot.

Taking off her socks is one of V's favorite hobbies, and these socks are particularly hard to remove, so she's taken the brilliant step of trying to gnaw them off. These action shots were taken on the way to Park Rapids. I hope she can find use for them when she applies to join the circus, as either an acrobat or a freak. Either way, clearly this is evidence that my child is not merely gifted, but extraordinary and fully deserving of a place in history, or at least full time position with Barnum and Bailey.

Have I mentioned how surprised I was when she was born physically normal? I was certain we'd at least get a tail, or some scaly skins. But no, all my devotion to circus sideshows not withstanding, we were given this smiley, laid back, cheerful blue eyed girl. We should've named her Marilyn, like on the Munsters. She will probably bring dates home in fifteen years who expect normal, well-adjusted parents who will run screaming from our Lily and Herman-esqueness. With any luck, I'll have time to show the above photos, in our defense.

We went to the big city this weekend, my daughter and I. Fabulous people there in the big city; it makes me more lonesome, in the end, and I hate that. And there's never enough time to see everyone and do everything we want to, and I never get more than 5 hours sleep a night while we're there. But otherwise we had a spectacular time. City Friends: we're coming back, the weekend of Thanksgiving. I know many of you will be busy, but hopefully that will cull the herd, so we can concentrate on some of you folks we never get to concentrate on.

In the meantime, don't try that foot trick at home. You could poke an eye out.

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home...

Because Ladybugs aren't scary, I kept insisting V was an asian beetle, but most everyone ignored me. One colleague thought she should be an asian ninja beetle, and offered to make her a tinfoil throwing star, but we were busy and couldn't wait around. All in all, it was an adorable Halloween, even if (or perhaps because) I worked until 7:15, ran home to take these pictures, and then went to my poetry workshop group at 8.

I do feel somewhat bad that I didn't make her costume, but then I remembered that I work full time, and I felt better. On the plus side, though, I bought this last year after Halloween, as is my way, and I think it's so cute, she may just wear it as a mid-weight jacket until she outgrows it. It makes me smile to see her little antennae and the wings on her back. Is that weird, to let your kid wear her halloween costume all year long?

Do you love the John Deere tractor and the Homer slipper in these photos? I am all about the staging and the ambiance. I bar no expense for you, gentle readers!

To celebrate that Blogger is letting me post pictures again, here's another, just to keep you alert. I know it's kinda dark and slightly blurry, but it's the cutest one of me in the bunch, and lord knows it's all about my own cuteness. Light and clarity be damned!

Gratuitous Halloween Post

If I had but light enough and time, I would pull out every single stop for Halloween. Not like the giant inflatable yard items, but like the spiderweb curtains, the steaming dry-ice punch bowl, and homemade costumes for everyone in my family and raging decor for our house. Like this, or this, or this. But at the very least, I could make these. Right? But right now I'm feeling like, at 14 months, V just is not going to really remember anything we do yet, so why bother? Of course, there are great photo ops, and if I don't do anything this year, maybe I'll like it and be too lazy to do anything next year....and my poor child will grow up without any significant memories. So I'll scrape a costume together, and trick Shaun into taking her trick or treating, and find a pumpkin to carve. And maybe next year, we'll have monster lips and steaming punch and cold spaghetti intestines. And everyone will go home happy.

No photos. Blame Blogger.

Words to reclaim, for the good of the English Language

I was reading someone else's blog the other day (which I can't find again, because if I could I would link to it), and she was discussing words that have fallen out of favor but are particularly wonderful. Her list included the especially marvelous:

Fie as a curse word.
Poppycock, as an expression of disbelief.
“I’ve got a hitch in my git-along,” meaning “I feel stiff.”
Zozzled, meaning drunk.

I love these. I want to add some of my own particular favorites:

Smitten, which makes me think of mittens and kittens and smooch. Which is about right, isn't it?
Sweet on, as in "I'm kinda sweet on my biology teacher. He's dreamy."
Splendillyiscious, which I may have made up, but enjoy just the same.
bona fide, which is just fun to say.
brouhaha, as in "What's the brouhaha," meaning hubbub or uproar.
hubbub, meaning brouhaha.
_______mobile, like "bitchmobile," or "mamamobile," or "nerdmobile," in describing what exactly a mode of transportation is carrying. Lately, it's been "Freaky garbage mobile."

So those are my words. And ye? Yourn? Share, won't you?


In the meantime, the title of this photo is:

All I need is my bottom lip. My bottom lip, and this record player. And this scooter. Oh, and that TV. That's all I need. Oh, and this miniskirt. Right.

Insistently persnickity blithering delusions

So I am mildly obsessed with this site, the Juicy Readability Test. Basically, you give it your blog (or someone else's) and they calculate how difficult/complex/advanced it is. Languishing has not thus far fared as well as I'd hoped.

You need less than a fourth grade education to read and understand Languishing.

This disappoints me, but then I remembered that it doesn't say "Hey, it looks like a third grader wrote this." No, it just says third graders could understand this. Which is okay, I guess, if you're some kind of freakishly dorky third grader who wants to read about my life and crafts and look at lousy pictures I take. Go get 'em, pardner.

But in the interest of raising my pitifully pathetic scores, and because most of the scoring comes from (as near as I can reckon) the number of multiple-syllabic words, I am hereby declaring my intention to pack in as many three-syllabe words into each post as I can. At least for awhile.

I'm shooting for a 5th grade audience, ladies and gentlemen, and it doesn't seem to be working.

I realize I could play this game by just typing "harmonica" over and over and over again, but that's just stupid. Instead, I'm forcing myself to discuss things like the travesty of fornicating educators and the truancy of rhythmically challenged percussionists. And don't even get me started on trolloping magnificent meteorologists. Man, have I got some stories to tell...

So stay tuned. I gotta go find my thesaurus. I mean, I must venture onwardly to discover my encyclopedic-esque tome of longer freaking words to use.

Knifty Knitter Looms: not for the faint of heart

I can't stop making hats. I make almost one a day. I've given almost everyone I know a hat, so now I will have to give hats to strangers, I guess. I'll walk down the street, just looking for the hatless, and Wala! Out of my pocket, a new hat! Would you find it odd if a complete stranger just gave you a homemade hat?

Yeah, me too.

I made this one on the 2nd smallest knifty knitter loom. It takes me about an hour, hour and a half, to make one V's size. She has four or five.

So...Anybody want a hat? I can make big girl sizes too. Or boy sizes. First person who asks, I'll make you a hat and send it to wherever you are. Bring it on.

I tagged myself. Sad but true.

9 Lasts --
9.] last place you were: Besides here? Cashwise. And before that, Willie's in Dilworth.
8.] last banana split: Just a couple of nights ago. I ate the last banana in the house.
7.] last beverage: Coca-cola classic
6.] last movie watched: The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Funny, but not ha-ha.
5.] last phone call: My momma, who has a bad cold.
4.] last song played: Er, NPR? Actually, "Today 4 You" from Rent.
3.] last BUBBLE bath: A month or more ago. I should get on that.
2.] last time you cried: Yesterday. Reading SouleMama.
1.] last tv show watched: South Park

8 have you evers --
8.] have you ever dated someone twice: like, broke up and got back together? Yes.
7.] have you ever been cheated on: Not that I know of. Exactly. Well kinda.
6.] have you ever kissed someone: Dumb question.
5.] have you ever kissed someone you regret: Repeatedly.
4.] have you ever fallen in love: yes.
3.] have you ever lost someone: Yes. But then I looked under the bed, and there he was.
2.] have you ever been depressed: ever not? er, yes.
1.] have you ever been drunk and thrown up: Seriously. Dumb questions.

7 famous people you'd like to hang out with --
7.] Steve Swiggum (how do you spell that, anyway?)
6.] Barry Pepper
5.] Tina Fey
4.] Loretta Lynn
3.] Janeane Garafalo
2.] Jon Stewart
1.] Michael J. Fox

6 things you've done today --
6.] watched South Park. The kindergarten teacher was having sex with Kyle's brother.
5.] went shopping with my sister and our babies
4.] laundry
3.] Ate an ultimate turtle fudge brownie
2.] Graded 20 papers
1.] Watched this week's LOST.

5 people you can tell pretty much anything to --
5.] V
4.] Tami
3.] Jeni
2.] Tenessa
1.] Shauners

4 favorite colors --
4.] purple
3.] orange
2.] red
1.] yellow

3 things you want to do before you die --
3.] Go back to the Wisconsin Dells and play with the family.
2.] See Ireland
1.] Watch my daughter grow up, preferably healthily & happily.

2 favorite ice cream flavors --
2.] peppermint bonbon
1.] Pralines & cream

1 job you wanted as a kid --
1.] Poet (I know. Dorky.)

So there you go. I tag Carla and Tenessa. Tag! You're it.

Please, Chino, let it not be true...

So this, ladies and

gentlemen, is my daughter. Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone. Fruit of my womb. Seriously. My friends assure me this is just a phase, but her father is encouraging this face whenever possible, so I assume her prom pictures will look much like these, but without the bib (or the top-of-the-head ponytail. Maybe).

Here's a shot sans flash, so you can see she makes this face even with her eyes open. (yes, we know she needs a haircut. Back off). Often, she lowers her bottom lip so we can see her 1.5 teeth. And she makes disturbing sounds like "mmmna, mmmna, mmmna." Which is perhaps an improvement over the song she sings to herself most other times, which goes, in part, "dickadickadicka."

I fully accept that by posting these photos, I am ruining her chances to ever run for political office. That's okay, anyway, since her father hates little more than he hates politicians. I just want her to stop making that face. As a side note, I also have no illusions about this blog's readership. Aunt Shirley, if you're there, send a comment. The other three of you? Yeah, you. C'mon. Write and tell me if you think this is just a phase or if her face really will stick that way.

Here's a parting shot to show her gleeful reaction when Mama recoils in horror at the Mmmna mmmna face.

Now that's my girl, laughing her freaking head off.

Hey, nice airplane

V had her one-year shots today. Shaun kept saying "It's for the greater good!" in a rather dark, forbidding tone...though I know it is. At least I hope it is. This was much worse than her first sets of shots, because she looked at us with betrayal in her eyes this time: before it was always "Hey...ooh, shiny." Now it was much more "Oh, sweet holy moses, how could you two people who claim to love me allow me to be hurt in such a way???" Or at least that's how it felt.
I considered not immunizing (and I say "I" because I'm pretty sure Shaun never considered it...) but it didn't feel right to me. If she gets autism because of these, well, maybe I'll feel differently. Really, though, this was our best choice for our family, and I hope fate doesn't screw me over and prove me wrong. Mostly I just want my kid to grow up, be healthy, and not die of an archaic disease. Is that so wrong?
The airplane swing is Linus'. We just borrowed it a bit.

Wedded Bliss...

So I was in a wedding on Friday! My dear dear friend Tami and her sweet man Josh tied the knot in a gorgeous ceremony, and I got to be a part of it, and whoo-doggies, I'm still tired. Anyway, on the way down, Shaun gave V her first lesson on how to ride in the front seat (which will happen in about 12 years). Don't worry, the car wasn't moving, and they were just waiting for me to come out of my 13th bathroom stop. I couldn't stop laughing at the two of them, chillin' in the front seat, listening to AM radio, talking about how awesome milk is (I assume that's what they were talking about...).

Here's a picture of the bride, for your viewing pleasure. This is right before the ceremony, when we were just trying to pass the time. Isn't she dreamy? I met Tami in college in 1991, and her wedding was a big reunion-esque affair, with many of our dear friends all together again. It made me lonesome for a time when we all lived together or nearly so, and had lasagna pot-lucks about every two weeks, where those of us on food stamps bought the food, and those who were not bought the beer. It was all very bohemian and idyllic and I imagine that's still how it is in the Cities, while I sit (mostly) lonesome in the north, thinking of the Glory Days (cue music). Every time we go down there, but especially this time, I vow to return more often, to stay more connected, and to tell these wonderful people how very much I love love love them.

And these are two of the beautiful bridesmaids (for some reason, I have no photo of me in the dress, so imagine this dress only bigger. But isn't it cute)? This is Jeni and one of the Heathers. Note their fabulous flower necklaces, our gift from the bride and groom (and our bouquets matched. Crazy).

Because we have a tendency to sequester ourselves (and I'm always looking for ways to save money), we stayed with our sweet friends Ed and Linda on Thursday and Saturday nights, and in the hotel only on Friday. Ed and Linda are two of the kindest people on earth, I swear, and whenever we're with them it's comfortable and fun, and we laugh a lot. V adores them both and really likes Bart, their amazingly well-trained dog. Linda made a cake for Miss V's birthday, and though she doesn't look it, V was very pleased indeed.

On Sunday, V and I got to play with Mary Ellen and Collin (as well as Steve, Joy, Susanne, Tenessa, and Linus) while Daddy and Uncle Dan and Uncle Andy went to the Twins' game. Here, Collin is holding Linus' Shaun doll, from a Jen & Shaun set we gave the Glees when they moved away. Apparently, the Glee household rejoices mightily and makes fun of us non-stop, using our respective dolls.

Whew. See why I'm still tired? I also managed to pack in a trip to IKEA and to S.R. Harris, the most amazing fabric store in the world. Of course, one might ask why I'd want to go to IKEA and a 30,000 foot fabric warehouse the same weekend of wearing 3 inch heels for a wedding, but if you DO ask, I'll just kick you with my bloody foot.

Crafty goodness, upcoming: some shoes for V, some more skirts (of course!) and a new dang stuffed creature, one way or another.

Birthday Girl

We had a little party this weekend, as we are going out of town tomorrow (V's actually birth birthday). It was so awesome to see her open her gifts and get excited! And I can't believe I've been a mother for nearly a year, and how much she's changed and grown and...oh, mercy. This parenting experience is as profound as anything I've ever experienced. No wonder people are always writing bad poetry about it.

In lieu of bad poetry, here's a shot of V on her new scooter, with cousin Will pushing her at approximately the speed of light. I adore this shot, with the blurred backgroud, and Will's little head determined to push on, and V looking up a bit surprised at going warp speed for the first time ever.

Tonight, I want to make her a new pair of shoes, as we are going to the kind of wedding where a one-year old should probably wear shoes, and my one-year old should certainly wear shoes I've made. But I also have to alter my dress and learn to walk in 3 inch heels tonight, so no promises, baby girl.


Here we are in the firelight on Saturday, surrounded by people we love, close enough to the lake to hear the loons call (if it weren't for that cover band across the road...). My mom took this picture, and I love how V is peering up at her Grandmother.

In years to come, I hope I remember this birthday party, with all the joy she had in every gift, the amazement and patience she had with her cake, and the sweet way she curls when she falls asleep after being really tired. When she's 12 and I can't recall ever WANTING children in the first place, I really, really hope I remember this year.

Good-bye, sweet boy...

So thirteen days ago, out of the clear blue, Egon bit someone. No one we know: a man bicycling by on the street. E got away from me, ran over, bit the guy, and ran back to the house.

After talking it over, and thinking of the sight of the giant bruise on that man's thigh, and thinking about how if he ever bit V, he'd break her bones, and talking for a long time with my dear cousin-in-law Colleen, who trains and loves dogs, Shaun and I decided we had to put our big white giant down. He has been more aggresive in the last year, just little things, but added together with the Big Bite, we felt it was too dangerous not to. It was gut-wrenching and awful and the only way to go.

It took many, many phone calls, and it's all such a horrible, sordid, nasty tale that I don't want to tell it again right now, but let's just say I think someone in the tri-county area needs to FIGURE OUT WHAT THE LAW IS so no one ever has to go through what we went through. But finally, this morning, we found an understanding vet hospital that helped us put our beloved pet to sleep without SCREWING IT UP. They were compassionate, respectful, and awesome, and if you're ever in Fargo and need a veterinarian, talk to me first because I know the one you should go to.

I'm sorry for all the yelling but truly, the 3 other vets we worked with are all staffed entirely by idiots. And it takes a lot for me to call someone an idiot.

Despite all this, we are feeling relieved now, and safe, and very sad and lonesome. I'm not sure I believe in heaven for humans, but by god, if there's a heaven for dogs, I hope our Egon is there, enjoying peanut butter sandwiches and lots of loving games of catch.

All I've been thinking about this week is that line in Dead Man Walking, when Sister Helen says "I want the last face you see to be the face of love." We were the last thing he saw, and every cell of me loved him. I hope he knew that.

Seriously obsessed...

The pink camo is a bit wonky and has buttons instead of snaps. It took 8 tries to get the buttonholes right, but now I want to sew buttonholes on everything that stands still.

The brown with tan illustrates the shape/structure of the whole thing. It's just one piece, cut on the fold. I cut, hem, bind, and sew closures. I thought about lining this one, since the white back isn't too pretty, but it's pretty rare that it shows, anyway, and this is another upholstery fabric that is heavy enough by itself.

In my frugal living corner, each of these skirts take 3 yards, and both of these fabrics are from the 99 cent bin. Plus 50 cents in snaps (or 2 buttons from my old, underused button box), and I've made a skirt for less than 4 dollars. It fits me perfectly, I adore it, and I can adapt it in so many ways to have a whole skirt wardrobe.

Seriously, I think I may have to start a Church of Skirts. Who's with me?

Skirts!

I finally found a wrap skirt pattern in my size (nearly) that I really like. Butterick 3526. So I've made 3 so far, and cut one for my mom and my sister, and have fabric for me for 3 more. Can I wear one every single day, do you think?

Anyway, here's the brown with blue...the fabric was $1.75 a yard at Mill End Textiles: it's a denim-weight upolstry fabric. The waist is bound with seam tape, and I've used 2 snaps to hold it together. It's very comfortable and though I'm not as photogenic as I'd hoped, it looks quite cute and swingy.

Behind me is a quilt I've been needing to bind for the last 4 years. I figure if I show it here, I'll shame myself into finishing it. It was a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law and her husband many Christmases ago...I must remember to not give unfinished presents, because look what happens.

I have photos of the other 2 skirts, but they will wait for another day. School is starting very soon, and I have pencils to sharpen and syllabi to staple. And many, many more skirts to make before I sleep.