Tuesday, February 27, 2007

A New Dress



I do believe I am beginning to resemble the fuddy in Fuddy Duddy.

I'd been looking for dresses for the fouryearold. Just something simple, not overly out-of-season -- since we still have many moons of winter left before it is actually warm enough for a "spring" dress. Easy to wash, easy enough for her to put on since she enjoys dressing herself for preschool each day. And, most important to me, the overbearing mother-type, something that didn't make her look like a hoochie-mamma-in-training. Too tall an order, I guess.

I looked at our local stores. I looked online. The closest thing I found to what I had in my mind's eye was at Land's End, on clearance, but STILL over 20 smackers with shipping. I went to the fabric store, looked through their pattern books and NADA! I finally settled on a 99 cent pattern that I had to find and make sleeves for from an old nightgown pattern. Am I this out of touch with what is the current style and what my tastes for my little girl are? I just want her to be comfortable, I don't want to fret over broken zippers and lost buttons and have her look like a LITTLE GIRL and not ParisLohanSpearsOlsenWhatever. Granted, I'm as sloppy a dresser as can be imagined, but I've got a girly-girl on my hands, so I try my best to be accomodating.

So, out of old, unused fabric (FSM KNOWS when I actually bought it!) and the cheapest, modified dress pattern I made this frock with my underused sewing machines yesterday afternoon. Fortunately for me and my aching back, my little girl likes it.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Monday, February 19, 2007

A Return To Laundering


It's arrived and partially installed. At least installed enough for the maiden load of laundry.

Eventually it will be put in its permanent place and tucked in with a new cabinet to its left and space for a roommate gas dryer to its right. I am just happy to not have to haul baskets down basement steps across town.

It really is the little things in life that mean so much. That and the Energy Star rating and the 126 (on a scale from 113 to 680) kilowatt hours to run the new darling.

Say hello to Frigidaire Tumble Action. We'll call her Action for short.

"Dinger, Action. Action, Dinger."


Oh, here's something now that needs a good sudsing.

I Guess...



we're beginning to look alike.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Floral Fripperies

I've been working, answering phones, at a local florist in the lead-up to Valentine's. I've been congratulated on my ability to answer the phones, take the orders, be pleasant and do a fair amount of sales to those, mostly men, that want to send something nice, are willing to pay, and are somewhat clueless about what they want. I have not asked to "design" or pushed my way into anything, but in less than 12 hours I've detected a weird vibe- not from the owners but from the other employees.

Yesterday I heard "Justine, are you DESIGNING over there?" from one of employees.

"Nope, putting up cards." was my response.

Today, I was told SPECIFICALLY where to place the orders. I asked and had it confirmed that I was putting them in the right place. Less than four hours later I hear, "you have to put them in THIS BASKET, not the box that says Wednesday." Uh huh.

I've owned a business, a business that is in its 11th year and I can tell you that I wouldn't hire half of the nitwits working in this shop. It's too bad, because the owners are great and obviously too good to people.

I asked another part-timer, Kelly, if the local college had a floral design tech degree. "Nope, all taught on site. Nearest school is Denver or Seattle." Uh huh. A little knowledge is obviously a dangerous, snipe-making thing. As an aside, Kelly has a long-time, successful business here, a busy, busy life and only comes in to help in these very-rushed times of the year at the florist. She was very good to work with the last few days. I couldn't count how many arrangement she put together that looked stunning and were finished and in the cooler in no time at all. She knows a thing or two about production.

But, I'll walk away from this with some useful information. I won't ever be owning a flower shop. The next business I have won't include baby-making, part-time girlies that can't answer a phone or be pleasant or helpful to someone that is in to save their ass; fortunately these individuals have the jobs they do because it's not terribly likely they could do much else.

It makes me happy that I've made a few people --who don't know me or have seen my face -- laugh a bit when they were placing their order. One of the highlights was when the manager of the local cemetary called to order a dozen roses for his wife.

"Would you like an assortment or all red roses or another particular color?"

"Like I know? All I know about flowers is that I have to clean them up out here."

"Well, think of the lovely compost it will make." He just laughed at that.

I do like knowing, by these little experiences, that I'm not wired like most women around this little town. Things that make me laugh don't seem funny to most, I can make complete strangers laugh on the phone, and my life is not dependent on trimming flowers in a back room a few days a year and thinking I'm "so stressed!". Tra la la.

Here is what is really important to me on a certain Wednesday in February and every other day of the year.

To add to annoyance, I woke this morning with a weird hot, throbbing spot on my back. I got up and sat in the massage chair-thingy I have. Then I went into the bathroom and I've been barfing ever since. 5 yaks in 4 hours, all over body aches, I AM SO HUNGRY, and little Chuckles coming into my room, saying "Muuum? Muum?" As I write this I'm up to 8 runs to the toilet between 7 am and 10 pm.

The person who'd questioned whether I was designing brought her fouryearold by the flower shop on Monday, after ,he'd started puking that morning. I called the owner at 7:15 Wednesday morning and told her what was going on. She said it long before I did. "That was rude bringing her boy in while he was sick." So, I spent Valentine's day in bed, mostly. I think this may be the longest I've been upright today. I just hope my kiddies don't get it.

I hope you had a nice Wednesday.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

A Birthday Book

Observation Of A Fouryearold

Today I picked up Aunt Dorothy at the airport. Just before the drive home, I had to stop in at the bigboxstore and pick up some pictures. Aunt Dorothy waited with the children and dog in the car where she and the Fouryearold had a brief conversation. It began by talking about Aunt Dorothy's dog and where he was, where he lives. Dorothy explained that Booker lives with her at her home in California.

Then the big question was asked. "Aunt Dorothy, why do you live alone?"

"I don't live alone. I live with Booker."

"Is it because all the MENS are taken?"

What does this Fouryearold know that the rest of aren't aware of?