Mom’s birthday was Tuesday. I went over for lunch, which was the best part of the day for sure.

This has been a pretty rough week at work. I was ready for the weekend on Tuesday.

Worked a bit more on the dress. Now I only have the sleeves and the hem to go.

I tried it on and I both like it and hate it. Next time, I’d use solid black in the same material for the bodice, with maybe the collar matching the skirt. However, I don’t think I’m going to use this particular pattern again.

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This is a night view of the Sand Castle, also seen on our site here.

Sand Castle Resort Motel

100 % air conditioned
Coffee Shop
2 Heated Pools
Sundeck
Elevator
3 Shuffleboards
Ocean View
T.V. & Phone in every room

Efficiencies
Motel Rooms
Apartments

563-3474
1st Traffic Light South of Sunrise off A1A
Vistamar and Breakers Ave.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304

This postcard was mailed on April 18, 1970 to Dr. Byron Steward
2425 N. High St.
Columbus, Ohio 43202

Checked in yesterday – Sure beats “Holidays.” Will be here at least 3-4 days then maybe “Freeport.” I told Ollie Gorey(she’s got my phone) not to bother you. Just wanted you to know I’m working hard!! Ate too much at Patricia Murphy’s

Dig scale – Dig Man!!

John

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Today I sent emails to Rep. Walberg and Senators Stabenow and Levin, letting them know I oppose SOPA and PIPA. As a photographer and blogger, I too have the chance of someone taking my images or ideas and using them for their own gain. However, SOPA and PIPA go too far and have a chance of making even catobear.com go away (the images of book covers? yup, those are a problem). The burden is on the little guy with SOPA and PIPA, and the piracy will still exist. Write your representatives and let them know that you also oppose SOPA and PIPA.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

This is the completed second brown skirt, which I wore to work today. I actually really like it.

And last night, in addition to yoga and meditating, I also made some progress on the wrap dress. The bodice is now put together, and the collar has been made (it has to be attached next). There are many difficulties working with the super-slinky fabric…but it also is amazing for easing a line and could make the sleeve insertion something fantastic!

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Finished The Violets of March, by Sarah Jio this weekend.

It was a pretty good book, and a fast read. It takes place on the west coast, where I generally prefer my ocean-fiction to take place on the east coast. The whole book was actually quite delightful, until the last 20 pages or so. There were too many loose ends, too many story-lines going on, and she wrapped them all up much too quickly. It was like a mad dash to the end, where perhaps she had been told she only had 304 pages and every word after that she would be charged $3 to add. In another 50 or so pages, she could have brought everything together in a more relaxed, lazy fashion and it would have felt a lot better.

If you have a weekend without anything to do, and feel like spending time on the couch, it is a quick read and will be a nice distraction.

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Goodness, I wish it was still the weekend. Why are the workweeks so terribly long, and the two good days at home with Bob so terribly short?

Last Friday, the sunrise/set was 8:08/5:31. Today, it is 8:07/5:34. Add another four minutes of daylight and another day closer to spring. It was bitterly cold over the weekend, but it is supposed to be a bit warmer today. I can handle a few days of horrid cold and snow, followed by a few days of warmer and sun.

I have been keeping up with my resolutions as well (three sessions cardio, three sessions yoga, three sessions meditation, three sessions hobby per week). I am still having great difficulty getting in the zone for the meditation.

Started sewing the wrap dress last night. I think I am going to have a problem with the bodice; when I adjusted for the length, I didn’t move the pleats in the pattern. I have completed up through step 5, out of a total of 35 to complete the dress. The pleats are in, the ties are done and attached. Next is putting the bodice back and fronts together.

I may take a night off this one to do that other skirt, though. It’s basically a one-hour sew on it and I’d like to wear it on Wednesday for my tour and meeting with the new director from Kalamazoo.

I am trying to work with adjusting patterns. Beverly sent me a delightful vintage dress pattern, and it will need some alterations to get it to work (as do all vintage patterns; even the “retro” patterns the companies are re-releasing now need alteration to get them true to the original vision). I have some nice dress pattern paper that is going to come in handy for this one:

I often read that what you should really be doing with your life is that which fills your thoughts when you are meant to be working. Now, if only I could figure out how to make money that way! I fill my calendar at work with meetings and projects and I believe I am good at what I do. It just takes so much out of me to do it, and I feel (like I do with my cardio activities) a great loathing and resentment when it comes time to do it all. Ugh.

I miss my Grandma. I wish she was here to chat with about sewing, and winter, and the birds. I just miss her terribly.

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I have cut out all 1,000 pieces of the wrap dress. And the bobbin and thread are all ready to go, with a new needle. But that’s about as far as I went with it.

Fields Fabrics had a great sale, so I got a bit of material for a scarf:

And two more skirts:

Catobear was my helper last night:

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I have enabled the comments section again. So far, no spam…but you have to register and log in. Please let me know if you have any difficulty with the registration process and I can add you myself.

I am doing well with the New Year’s resolutions. I’ve managed to keep up with the cardio, yoga and meditation and I’ve also managed to keep up with reading and sewing projects.

First, I finished the purse from the pattern Kirsten sent me:

Isn’t it cute? Bright and cheery!

Remember the purple monstrosity dress? Vogue9379. I am attempting it again.

The first time I made it, I determined the pattern is weird. The torso is much too short (like almost an empire waist, but clearly not intended to be when you look at the drawings) and the skirt is much too long. So this is my first attempt altering a pattern for clothing. I had to shorten the skirt already, but then even more because I was lengthening the torso. It could come out completely screwed up or odd looking. But I have the fabric, and I want to push on ahead. Well, really I want to make another item in the sew a straight line book, but I’m using up the material I have already. What do you do with all kinds of leftover scraps of fabric?

This is the fabric that I am using. I bought it when Kirsten was here and we went shopping at Fields Fabrics. It’s cute and should be great for a wrap dress. But the fabric itself…working with it is really horrible. Bad. It’s impossible to layout patterns. It’s impossible to cut. I assume it’s going to be impossible to sew.

It also caused my first real sewing accident. I was cutting out the second pattern piece (the wrap belt) and gave myself a really good cut on the index finger with the rotary cutter. It bled and bled. Bob bandaged it all up and it’s seeming to do okay…but I think I’m going to use scissors on the rest of this particular project. I don’t have high hopes that the dress actually will turn out, given the pattern changes and the trickiness of working with the fabric. But it’s another attempt. And when I’m done, I can make the chiffon shirt I’m really excited to make!

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Today on the way in to work it was 39 degrees. Any day in January when the temperature is above freezing is a plus for sure. But nearing 50 degrees? I know there are horrible, horrible things that come with global warming. Seals and polar bears and countless other creatures will perish. Flooding will wreak havoc…I’m looking at you, Bangladesh. I’m all for the cap and trade system, increased requirements for vehicles and stricter EPA regulations. Anything that will stop the death of our planet, I’m all for it. However, it seems that the world is bent on making poor choices. I can’t do anything to stop the warmer weather. I just can’t help it if five days of sun and warmth makes my heart a little lighter.

Sunrise. Today we will have seven more minutes of daylight than one week ago.

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La Casa Del Mar Motel

28 West Cabrillo Blvd.
Santa Barbara, California
Phone WOodland 6-6337

New Heated Pool, Shuffleboard, Ping Pong, Free TV all rooms. Only Motel on Beach with garages – Sun Patio – Steam Heat. Thirty-Seven Units.

AAA Approved

Dr. and Mrs. F.R. Braune
Mr. and Mrs. C.O. Hahn
Managing Owners

Pub. by Clair Wood, Santa Barbara, Calif.

23538

This postcard is postally unused.

This motel is now the Harbor View Inn and is still in business! The facility was greatly expanded and made into a spa (completed in 2009).

(photo courtesy of Orbitz.com)

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Gathered up the courage to wear the skirt I made in to work today. Received a complement on it from an unusual source. Still feel uncomfortable as hell, though.

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