new years resolutions: five months later

So, almost half of the year has gone by. How incredibly exciting and terrifying is that? Life has this cunning way of sneaking by time right under my nose. It's been wonderful, regardless. Life just gets better and better. I can only hope I am too!

So, for starters, I have been sewing up my own clothes in lieu of shopping, starting with this dress.  Here are some examples:

This dress was (believe it or not) my fifth grade Halloween costume at one time.  I altered it as a halter dress so it still fits me.  For the record, that year I was Nancy Drew.  Little did I know then that seven years later I would strive to be Nancy every day...

This is the dress I made over spring break with the fabric my dear friend Rachel gave to me for my birthday!  And yes, the hat is necessary (as hats usually are). 

I made this top with some old 70's material I found in a tub in a closet at my grandma's.  (My great-grandma went through a phase where she would just bring over boxes of old stuff--score, right?)

 My latest sewing project took place a few nights ago--I finally put my Portland fabric to use! 

Although I haven't used a pattern since sixth grade for my Harry Potter cloak (oh yes), the other week I was given this magic at my mom's relay for life team's garage sale:

Two HUGE tubes of vintage patterns.  So my Portland skirt is the product of (loosely) following the pattern on the very far right.  I don't take direction well when it comes to sewing, but I now have two tubs of endless inspiration!  Life is sweet.

But I have a confession.  You know that garage sale I mentioned?  Just so happens that the parents of one of the team members (coincidentally my awesome 6th grade math teacher), were getting rid of everything in their house (where the sale was at) before moving in an old folks home.  Just so happens this woman's mother kept ALL of her and her children's clothes from EVER. 

And just so happens I ended up going home with a few bag fulls of vintage clothes for under $20.  But can you blame me?  At the time I thought I was in a dream.  A miraculous, wonderful, lovely dream. It was pure joy, being surrounded by so much old stuff on a beautiful Saturday morning. 

So I broke my first resolution slightly.  Although I have to say--hey, the money went to charity.  And isn't that my second resolution?  To be more charitable?  So there you go.

More acts of charity have been...acted.  I can't bring myself to list charitable instances though.  Seems silly.

Perhaps most importantly, my third resolution was to live more in the present.  This is sometimes a struggle for someone like me, who finds so much pleasure in the past and easily dwells on sweet memories.  The only thing that cures this is being around people, creating new memories.  John Steinbeck says it best:  "Having a companion fixes you in time and that is the present, but when the quality of aloneless settles down, past, present, and future all flow together.  A memory, a present event, and a forecast all equally present."  Although I do value my alone time, sewing and reading, I count on the company of others to root me in the present. 

So there you go.  That's that.

P.S.  I think I can officially declare myself out of the blogging blues.  Longest blogpost of my life.