persephone33

It's hot. Like Africa hot.

I know it's summer and I live in Texas, but every year I'm always surprised by how hot it is. This year is exceptionally hot. And because I live in Amarillo, it's windy, too. And there's a drought, so every time I step outside it's as if someone's trained a hair dryer on me. It's just gross, is what it is.

However, let me just say praise God for air conditioning. I've been sewing blankets and a quilt for a friend's baby shower, and the thought of covering up a baby with them right now makes me actually break into a sweat. (I also made a dozen kitty cat tails for Ethan's theatre camp. All that did was make me smile.)

Despite how hot it's been, I've spent the last week looking for a fall outfit to wear for this magazine interview/photoshoot I've got tomorrow morning. (The article comes out in September, so I thought wearing a sleeveless sundress wouldn't be quite right.) Do you know how hard it is to find a fall outfit when it's a BILLION degrees outside? It's almost nine o' clock in the evening right now, and it's still like the surface of the sun out there.

Anyhow, so I bought a fall dress. It's really cute. But the thought of actually putting it and a pair of boots on and then going outside makes me want to die a little.

Yet I will. Because being cute and in season is important.

Probably. A little.

You sweat for your art, is what it all boils down to.

Feel free to quote me on that.

Hey, reader! Watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat.

Fifty billion points if you can name that cartoon. Only two if you look at the icon.

Aaaaand, scene. This is one of those 'something for everyone' posts. Don't like whatever drivel seeps out in the paragraph you're reading? Skip to the next. That one might be better. You can hope, anyway.

Here goes.

★ I, and consequently anyone older than me, am/are no longer allowed to use the following phrase: "I'm gonna get my _________ on," where the blank is arbitrarily a noun, verb or adjective, depending on the speaker. Example: "I'm gonna go get my dance on," to explain to those surrounding the speaker that she might like to dance. January 14th, 1973. Check the date and obey the rules. Thanks.

★ Gay men make better shop attendants than straight men or even women. (Find me a straight man in retail or musical theatre. The ratio is skewed.) When I proclaimed this to my husband, he asked, "Even in the men's section?" To which I replied, "Especially in the men's section! How's a straight man going to help another straight man, fashion-wise? They'd all come out looking like... you. Honey." He conceded the point, I think.

★ Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking. Saw the show on Broadway. Laughed hysterically. Read the book in an afternoon. Laughed again. Funny, funny stuff. Admittedly, I'm an easy room, but it'll also make you glad for your own, relatively normal life.

★ Sometimes I get disappointed with people to the point that I never want to leave the house. (Where my house is Mt. Crumpit and I just stand at the door and glare down at the Whos of the world.) And then a few days go by and I take a deep breath, sigh heavily and give the world a metaphorical raspberry because, honestly, people are punks and they always will be. My bounceback time is faster, and for that I'm grateful.

★ I made these last night for home group, among other things. I LOVE THEM. In a completely dangerous-to-my-butt way.

★ Ever listen to The Splendid Table on NPR? (Listen now, because I think big brother's cutting it, soon, the jerkface.) My SIL turned me on to the program, and the Supper Tart. It's puff pastry and whatever toppings you like and a drizzle of olive oil. My favorites are chicken, tomatoes, onion and basil, but you can do whatever. Try it. You won't be sorry.

★ Stay tuned: After sewing for other people all spring, I'm going to make myself some dresses. This pattern (Knee length): Only I got black fabric and a green print to practice on and a red and black Chinese cherry blossom silk for the fancy one. Pattern covers are always truly hideous fabrics. Why?

★ And a friend who works at a furniture store in town brought me bunches of fabric swatches, out of which I'm going to make a fresh batch of bags and purses. Want one?  Offer expired!

First of all, despite my training as a serious actress (*snort*) and the fact that I adore costume drama and Hamlet and all things Broadway, I want to go see this movie pretty badly.



( Various and sundry informational updates... )

And I think that's all of today's news. Have a good Tuesday, y'all.

It's the story of the Purple Spider Sparkle Dress, as I've come to affectionately call it. It's the hardest thing I've ever constructed. And I didn't get to finish all of it because I got sick. That makes me die a little inside, but I'll sally forth. The dress is for Kiss of the Spider Woman, which opens tonight, as it happens!

( Sorry I didn't cut this earlier... )
See? Way up in the corner in the amber spot? That's the Purple Spider Sparkle Dress.
Can't wait to see it in action. I'm going tomorrow. Everyone break a leg!

*Currently, we have a missionary from Haiti staying with us for the weekend. She and her husband run an orphanage for AIDS and HIV+ kiddos down there. (As if the Cholera and the hurricane and the abject poverty weren't enough.) It makes my problems (what little I have) seem absolutely inconsequential. It's good to have some persepctive shoved at you every now and then. So that's what I'm doing this weekend: cooking and hostessing and entertaining and ...sewing?


*A good start on stock for my etsy store. Yes, I'm going to open one. No, I don't have an ETA on that. Etsy (and the way it's set up) is confusing and my photographic skills are a bit lacking. But it's on the horizon. Somewhere. This picture isn't all of the bags I have made; I think there are5 or 6 more hanging in the closet.

* Aaaaand lastly, Goldfish Vanilla Grahams are evil and must be stopped. I bought them for the children and I don't think the boys have had even one out of the (now) half-empty bag.

Curses.

Things I've done this week:

* I've dyed more fabric than I ever wanted to look at a rather fetching color of blue. And purple.

* I've ruined perfectly good brand new clothing. On purpose.

* I've painted purple dye on everything that would stand still.

* I prayed for the Lord of the Underworld's pants to fit while I was sewing them (for the second time) AND THEY DID.

* I've bleached my hands so they would go back to their normal, pasty color instead of purpley-blue.

* I've sewed. And sewed. And sewed. And altered. And sewed some more.

* I've glued. And glued some more. And then you know what? I glued some more.

* I've bitten my tongue when I wanted to scream. (GO ME!)

* I'll probably get the chance to do that again before the week is out.

* I went to a conference at church that was really, really good.

* I played eight holes of golf with my husband and sons. (Why only eight? That is a different story for another post. It didn't devolve into family Monopoly night, but it was close.)

* I've shopped. And bought shoes. And makeup. And dye. And bracelets. And more dye. And dresses. And more dresses. And couldn't return two of the dresses so I exchanged them for my size and inherited two fancy party dresses.

* I'll spend at least two more nights up at the theatre this week: But Thursday? Opening Night. And then Eurydice will go forward on her own.

It's documented. Look it up.

(It's only documented right here, but whatever.)

Nolan decided to take me to San Fransisco this weekend! We only just decided to go on Monday, and we leave in the morning, so it all sort of snuck (not a word. sue) up on me. I have managed to exercise with a friend, do all the laundry, pack for the kids and I, and get Ethan's choir uniform and tie dyed t-shirt ready for his performance tomorrow (Which I'm going to miss! I'm a bad mom. A mom who will be in California having goooooood wine). I've been to the chiropractor (because my back protested all the mopping I did yesterday -- but the floors are SOOOO mopped), the dollar store to get supplies for my acting class this afternoon, managed to cook my lunch for this insanely healthy VLC diet, AND went to JoAnne's, got fabric, filling and thread, and made AJ a phase 2 moon costume (Um...don't ask. I didn't) for his school play on Tuesday.

I did not get to the post office. Sorry Mom and leigh_adams, the stuff I need to send you is sitting on my dresser, mocking me. It'll be next week and late, but still super cool. My most sincere apologies to the both of you.

My literary friend Holle Wood (aka norablackbird, not that she ever uses her LJ and YES, that is her real name) dropped off some new books for me to read! Wheeeeeeeee! I love reading on airplanes. It's the BEST. Thanks, Holle!

Now I'm off to teach class have dinner with a group of girlfriends and see the musical 'Grease,' for which I made two quilts , three kelly green cheerleader skirts and sewed a ton of hot pink rickrack to fuzzy white bathrobes for the Beauty School Dropout number. I cannot think of a better way to kick off my vacation weekend!

See you all on Tuesday!

And happy mother's day to my sweet mom, and all you other girls out there with kidlets. Have a great day!

Remember, the person on the f-list who submits the funniest story, picture, icon, fanfic, etc. by midnight, March 31, to this post will receive a $15 gift certificate to Amazon.com, OR if they prefer, one of these:



It's my newest bag pattern! An original that mah brilliant mother helped me to create. So cute, don'tcha think? I'm carrying this one as my purse right now.

So, friends list: Make me laugh! Hey, that's pretty simple. I'm totally an easy room.

I have a new laptop. He needs a name, like... now. It's like having a baby and not naming it. Suggestions? He's strong and masculine, but put together.

The show I'm in is so solid, and we've got 3 more weeks of rehearsal. I've never worked with a more professional group of people.  Truly a pleasure.  Not a diva in the bunch.  And that's saying something when you're talking about a bunch of actresses.

I'm exhausted, and my fingers are sore from all the pinpricks from sewing umpteen million bags for Nolan's Haiti trip.

I've outlined my dgficexchange  story. I feel the freedom to try something a bit different this time around.  I think It will either be loved or completely hated by all.

It's completely amazing how passive aggressive some people are.  I'm telling you:  MIND BLOWING.  And not in a 1970's, laid back, groovy way, either.  >:(

Happy Veterans Day!

I spent the morning in the NYC garment district with Mom buying fabric and trims... SO cute! Makes me want to sew, for sure.

Also, had dinner at Nick and Stef's steakhouse... dear heavens above.  It was decadent.  A (one) glass of wine, a prime rib, mashed potatoes, bread and creme brulee.

Then we saw Men Who Stare at Goats.

...

No.  Just... no.  Don't.  Save yourself.  It's too late for me, but you... you still have hope.