Christmas

I'm totally inspired to celebrate Christmas to its fullest this year.  My best friend is flying to NYC the week before so that we can revel in NYC's Christmas magic.  I ordered a little fake tree for my place and have been buying vintage decorations to place on the tree. I'm a little obsessed with the vintage cuteness I'm finding.

A Humble Reminder

Today I received an email from a girl I've been friends with for a long time.  I don't talk to her a lot anymore but I try to see her whenever we're both home and I have always liked her a lot.  I know that in high school she struggled a lot as a lesbian in a conservative Christian family. She did not come out until college but anyway... in the email she recounted two different times where I made a difference in her life.  One in elementary school when  I waited with her during lunch while her dad was running late and another when I made a joke about a homophobic friend that had made a rude remark (I said something along the lines of "boy will she be pissed if all of her friends turn out gay").  Two small instances that did not leave an impression on me but were huge for someone else.  She said that my joke in high school made her believe that she could survive until college. That feels pretty huge.

My point in sharing this is not to gloat but to remind you guys how important loving each other is.  You never know how important kind words may be to someone on a bad day and who knows... you may receive an email15 years later thanking you. Always choose kindness.

Road Trip- New Mexico

Our first stop and second to last stop was New Mexico.  This state is TRULY the land of enchantment.  Really amazing scenery, great food and nice people.  I  LOVED Santa Fe and will most assuredly go back.  Our first stop was in Southern New Mexico at the White Sands National Monument.  This place will take your breath away. We arrived just before sunset and left at the end of sunset.  I think it must have been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.







none of the pictures could do it justice....

Santa Fe came toward the end of the trip when we circled back.  They have lovely food and a quaint little shopping square.  I recommend just leisurely walking around and taking it all in.  Lots of art and culture here.

I really liked New Mexico and my biggest recommendation would be to eat eat eat.  And to take in as much art as possible. And to SHOP. And LOVE the amazing weather.

My Sanity

So this whole teaching thing is a lot of work.  I love it, but it is so. much. work.  If teacher's did not have the summer off, they would probably lose their minds.  Anyone who says it's easy should try it...

Anyway... I have started a new project... one that I mentioned a while ago.  I bought this fifties dress pattern on ebay.  It is a pretty standard fifties dress with a full skirt.  I have spent MONTHS looking at fabric and going back and forth... flowers? solid? trim? aaah! I seriously have spent hours choosing my fabric and notions and FINALLY decided on what I wanted and got a GREAT deal.  At first I was convinced I would go to the garment district in NYC for everything so that I could see it.  Then I found fabric.com (and 3,343 other online shops) and couldn't resist their great prices.  After many shops, many fabrics and many ideas I finally put together my choices today.  I spent enough for free shipping and also found a twenty percent off coupon.  I got my thread, notions, fabric, lace and interfacing for 32 dollars!!  I was very pleased as I splurged on the lace.



My plan is going to be a little complicated... but I chose a cream colored taffeta and black lace for the skirt.  I will add velvet ric rac to the bodice and black pom poms to the skirt to add some funk and flavor.  I hope to wear this to the ballet this winter.  Here is a sketch of my thoughts...

don't be too jealous of my paint skillz.