Wally World

A few thoughts on Wal-Mart...

1. Why do people call it Wally World?  Is it because they are trying to give the impression that this is a fun place to go, instead of a mother's nightmare?
2. One thing that I do like about going to our local store is that I usually see a lot of people I know.  Especially, apparently, if it's 8:30 on a Monday night.  I saw two other mom friends and one told me that she had seen like three other people she knew.  I guess we all had the same great idea about putting our kids in bed and hitting the door.  And Wal-Mart is the most exciting place we have to go here in our small Nebraska town...
3. Why can't people put their carts away in the cart returns?  Or push them out the exit into the cart area just outside the door?  Tonight as I was leaving, a cart was blocking the exit.  The person who left it there had to walk a mere ten additional feet to get the cart out of other people's way and into the cart return area.  Then, when I got to my van, I found a cart directly behind my van!  What the heck, people?!  I know that you don't realize that the van owner is a big, tired, cranky, pregnant lady...but- I AM!  And I have to push your cart, along with my own, back to the cart return just so I can back out my van.  *sigh*
4. Why does milk cost more at the store where you supposedly "Save More,[and] Live Better," than it does at my local Safeway?  I paid $4.00 for a gallon of milk tonight!  The price was nearly enough to put me into labor.  And it's not time yet, so that would have been really bad.  But really, who wants to go to two different stores just to get a better price on milk?  *sigh again*
5. All in all, in spite of my complaints, I really am thankful that I can just hop in my van and, in 7 minutes, be at a store where I can buy (almost) whatever I need to get through the rest of the week/complete my project/etc.  I just have to remember to have the right attitude when I'm there, in the midst of the Wally-World-ness.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day always sneaks up on me. I'm not really sure why. And yes, I do know that it was last Sunday. I'm just late blogging about it because...well...I'm late blogging about everything. Plans to change that soon.  But I digress.

This year, I decided I wanted to do something homemade for my mom and mother-in-law on Mother's Day.  Because of the wonders of Google Reader, I am able to view the creative genius of hundreds of other women and never have to come up with my own ideas. It's great for a busy mom like myself.  I found this tutorial, and I knew right away that it would be perfect for my moms. 

Of course, I found this only a couple of days before Mother's Day, so by the time I actually got the towels done, it was Monday (yes, the one after the holiday) before they were in the mail.  Luckily for me, both my mom and m.i.l. are incredibly understanding ladies.  Also, I don't think they've ever received anything in the mail from me in time for the actual event.  Sigh.  Some day, I will be organized.  I hope.

So, carefully following the directions in the tutorial, I made a shopping list and noted exactly what I'd need to make these beautiful gifts. 

Okay, not really. I just glanced at the tutorial, thought to myself that I'd pick up some towels and some ribbons, and that I'd use fabric I had laying around my sewing area.  Well.  I got home with my towels, a few spools of ribbon, and no fabric, and once I looked at the tutorial and actually read the instructions, realized that my plan would not work.  I ended up exchanging one set of towels and getting new ribbon and buying fabric specifically for the project.   I had a couple extra trips to Wal-Mart and the fabric store on Saturday (yes, this would be the day before Mother's Day).  On the upside, the leftover ribbon and fabric will do many more sets of towels! 

The completed set for my mother-in-law!

These towels and ribbon were really easy to work with.  I just bought three fat quarters at the quilt shop and used them for the fabric.  As soon as I saw these bright, springy colors, I thought of my mother-in-law. That's what I love about this project; you can really customize it to the taste of the giftee.  Is that even a word?  Giftee?  Sorry.  Anyway...the only thing I did really differently than the tutorial was to just cut a strip of fabric 2 1/2 inches wide, and then I laid it across the towel and cut it to match.  That way, I was sure it fit.  The grosgrain ribbon sort of just stuck to the towels because of the nature of the fabric, so that made it very easy to keep them straight during sewing. 

I just hope they don't fall apart during their first washing!

The set that I did for my mom was a little different.  I used a different type of towel, and the ribbon was satin, so it was harder to get it to stay in place.  I had to resort to...gasp...pinning.  You would think that I would just learn my lesson about pinning, after all the sewing I have messed up as a result of not pinning because I want to save time.  Not so.  But I did pin these.  And they turned out very nicely.

I love the soft, muted colors of these fabrics.

My mom instantly came to mind when I found these fabrics!  Her house is decorated with soft colors like these, and the effect is so soothing.  It's a very relaxing home.  I wanted to make something that would fit in with that scheme.  

These were a little tricky because of the pattern on the white towels.  The lines are not exactly straight with the hem (thanks a lot, Wal-Mart), so I had to decide if I wanted to follow the lines or the hem.  I decided to go with the lines, since the last line was covered up and the hem's crookedness probably wouldn't be as noticeable as the crookedness of a line compared to the ribbon.  Does that make sense?  Anyway....they were still really fun to do.  I used the same ribbon on the top of all of these, so that made the sewing faster than the other set when I had to change thread a few times.  

Mom's set!

I encourage you to check out the tutorial if this is something that you have thought about doing but have never had the chance to try!  It's really not hard.  If you can cut and sew a straight line, you can do this.  And the finished product makes it look a lot more difficult than it is.  So you look like a sewing genius.  I am going to try it with some plain diapers and make burp cloths next.  I will let you know how they turn out!

Holding My Possessions Loosely

My sweet five year old son taught me an important lesson today.  I really shouldn't be surprised; he oftentimes speaks with wisdom beyond his years.

This morning I was talking to my husband about donating to a needy family a couch that is in our basement and really never gets used.  He was all for the idea. I then mentioned that they have a 3 year old son who could use some toys, and almost before I finished my sentence, my son was on his way to the playroom to fill up a bag with toys.  He brought it back to me to show me what he had chosen, and I had to hold my tongue from protesting.  A couple of things he had been given for birthdays or Christmas, and even though he had outgrown them, to me, they had sentimental value.  I smiled and told him that they would make the little boy very happy, and he had never looked happier.  I went into the kitchen to continue making my breakfast, and as I thought about what had happened, I was convicted by the Holy Spirit about my reservations.  Why would I ever try to subdue the generosity of my child?  Jesus spoke often of loving others more than yourself, and of giving away possessions in order not to feel tied to worldly things.  Don't I want my son, who has professed faith in Christ at such a young age, to be more like Him?   I also certainly want to encourage the Fruits of the Spirit in my children: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  My son's willingness to give away perfectly good toys to a total stranger gives just a glimpse of the softness of his heart.  I often pray that I might be as generous and unselfish as he.