Farewell, Princess Leia

Say what you will, she will always be Princess Leia to me.  And, a perfect illustration of why I often feel sorry for people too used to money and privilege.  It doesn't necessarily make life better.  But she will always be a part of my history of pleasant memories spent in dark theaters watching people with brave and wonderful (scripted) lives.  And, wishing I was one.



Our Christmas was wonderful, of course.  The three of us had a very nice day.  It's amazing how pleasant a day can be when everybody is paying attention to one another and not their phone.  We started off with our traditional bubble bread...okay, not really started...Rob and I needed protein, so we had bacon and eggs first. 

And, after that, we opened our shoes.  I'm only partially kidding.  It was like the year of the shoe around here.  We all got shoes.  I got more shoes than anybody.  I honestly don't know what was up with the shoes.  Sydney was shopping for a new pair of boots and we took her multiple places and I found a pair of shoes on sale in every one for me...and I bought them.

And, on the day after Christmas, I sent four pair of old shoes to Goodwill. 

Rob surprised me with a new TV for the kitchen...have I mentioned that we are real movie people?  It has a wall mount and can be moved out of the way or aimed wherever I'm working.  We're very practical gift givers, so there were lots of clothes and shoes and my annual new egg skillet.  Rob got security cameras to hang around the house and Sydney got her boots...we had just about given up that hunt.  And, we laughed and enjoyed ourselves as we unwrapped our gifts and celebrated the traditions our family has come to treasure to celebrate the big day, including a LOT of eating. 

Just before the big day, when all things Christmas were on sale, I bought this kit.  It's based on a pre-printed panel for the center (thank goodness that's not all embroidery and applique) and will be our quilt for 2017.  We both thought it was very cute and when it was cheap, it was ours.  We got it on Wednesday before, and we laughed about whether I should try to make it for this year.  But, I didn't.  I need to leave a few things to look forward to.

Rob is really into camper trailers.  We don't have one...yet...but he collects miniature ones.  So, this year, I found this quilt pattern and I bought it for him as a pre-cut kit.  I had even picked up the background fabrics and laundered them, so I'm all ready to go.  A precut kit is different for me.  I rarely purchase a kit, much less a precut.  When I bought this one, I trusted that someone else picked great fabric combinations and did a good job of adhering the fusible and that the pieces are well cut out.  We will see what I find when I really dig in. 

I gave myself two craftsy classes while they were on sale last week.  Both were shirtmaking classes and I've made it through one and have started the other.  The first one was a great class and I enjoyed it very much.  I decided to try to make a shirt using her method on Monday.  She can make a shirt in 3 hours.  I worked on it all day.  And, I threw it away at the end of the day because I had ruined the neck...it was 4 inches too big...FOUR!  But, it's okay.  It was practice and was made out of an ugly fabric, so I only lost the day.  The method the teacher used required me to cut my seams narrower than my pattern had.  She doesn't use the standard 5/8, and it makes sense because so many shirt directions say sew it at 5/8, then trim it smaller.  So, she just starts with it smaller.  I think I cut my neckline twice.  Oops!  I ended up cutting the shirt down to smaller practice sections, starting with a new neck to which I attached the collar stand and made pattern adjustments that way.  It was something I learned in the first half hour of my second shirtmaking class.  One of the first teacher's suggestions was to make three shirts as fast as you can so your mind wraps around the concepts.  That was one.  And, I'm ready to dig into two and see if I can actually finish it.  I have more practice fabric.  And, I've purchased some beautiful checked fabric for number three. 

Yesterday was a long and hard day back at work.  Tw days of stuff I'd missed and no resources available to help me solve problems.  On the way home, I ran into my panhandler friend, Rick.  He'd been somewhere that they let him cleanup over the holidays.  We only had the space of a redlight to talk, so he didn't get to tell me.  He looked bright an alert and his beard was neatly trimmed.  It was a good change as I've watched him seem to fade over the last year since he lost his other leg.  I suspect Rick is a diabetic.  When I met him, he only had one leg.  And, now he has none.  Isn't there a saying about complaining about having a good life, until I met a man who didn't...I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.    That put some perspective in my day.  This time, I had a crisp $20 bill for him that I'd stuck in my wallet before the holidays, holding it til I ran into him again.    I was a little worried because I hadn't seen Rick in so long that maybe something had happened.  But, I held on to that bill, just in case.  And, yesterday, I got to give myself the gift of giving it to him and enjoying a nice chat.  Because that's who I really am.  Inside, I'm not the grumpy curmudgeon I pretend to be at work.  At least I hope not.

Everybody have a great week.  I'm working on resolutions for 2017.  The guild is having a UFO challenge for next year.  Commit to finish certain ones, then as you finish them, bring them to show and tell.  For every finish, there's an entry in a drawing.  Nothing like a challenge to help me with something that was already a priority for me.  Oh, and cleaning things out.  I have so many things that I can't find the thing I need when I need it.  So, I'm paring down my things and letting go of things I don't think I will ever actually use again.  It's a fire sale...everything must go!

Lane