Me: End of Summer

As I look at all my hopes for the upcoming school year, I thought I might have been purchasing home school materials and looking forward to a year with my whole family home.  However, sometimes life happens and other choices are just better for now.  On the plus side, my daughter has been desperate to try out school and now she will get to.  My younger son will get to be the big brother instead of stuck in the middle.  I will look forward to afternoons of napping kids and some time to maybe write.

It is funny to think there will be so much less work with ONLY three kids at home.  Realistically I know that Joel and Ellie help me out a lot.  When I am making dinner, I can ask them to sing to Bria.  When I let my kids play in the backyard, I know the older two will tell me if the little ones are getting into things.  I have helpers now, and my three year old is not really able to do much.  So I am trading some help for about two hours of quiet a day.  We'll see how that goes.

In my "free" time lately I have been sewing.  I figured out a use for some old jeans and the elastic from a torn apart pair of maternity pants.  By cutting my jeans right below the knees and evening out each side I have a perfect sized pencil skirt for my daughter.  She is very slim and most clothing falls off her waist.  I used the thick elastic as the waist band and then I sewed a ribbon over it to make it look prettier.  She is quite pleased with her new skirt.

There are lists of how I want to use up old bits of fabric like this.  I have an old table cloth with a couple stains on it, that I plan to turn into oven mitts.  Then I have some old curtains that I look forward to turning into chair covers for my kitchen chairs.  Kids and fabric seated chairs has been a real mess.  I need to be able to throw something in the wash.  I am also thinking of using jeans scraps to make a purse, since mine is falling apart.  Reusing old clothing and fabric, might just have become my new hobby.  Just think, if I had the money to go out and buy fabric, I would be missing out on these crazy creative ideas.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to pick some stuff out too, but right now I am having fun getting to know my sewing machine with fabrics already taking up space in the house.

So as one can see, the creative side of me is taking over.  After having a baby this tends to happen.  This time it was during my pregnancy and now.  I love the idea of making as much as I can and buying very little.  That way I know who spent the time making a lot of the finished product.  I do not see myself learning to make fabric myself, but if I had a million hours a day I would try to.  Products are more fun if for me if I attempt to make them.