A lovely Valentines Day Plug for Ohhh Lulu Here.
The funeral was as good as a funeral could be, the eulogy was lovely (preformed by my aunt, who I was named after). I broke down a bit at the end and was feeling really quite low yesterday evening, but today it is sunny, relatively warm for winter in Canada, and I woke up to a lovely email with a link to this really lovely write up about Ohhh Lulu. I was so happy to see that other people are recognizing what I am trying to do with my lingerie, and appreciating it! It really set me off on the right foot. I also found this great write up in the Washingtonian. I am so excited!
I am at work today, but I only have 7 hours left to go and am really feeling positive about things now. This is the first time in a while I don’t really have too much to stress about, and in doing all of the remembering of my Grandmother, I feel very inspired – inspired to be a better person, more positive, in dependant, a business owner, just like my Gram. Thinking back, I think almost all of my Grandma’s business ventures were pretty independently run – I guess if you can’t find work, you’ve got to make your own!
I’ve been spending a lot of time worrying over the elusive question: “what am I going to do with my life?” I am 27, and have recently left a good job in the biggest city in Canada (see bio) for a much more simple life, but I am having a hard time separating what I do from who I am and dealing the pressure to have a “real” job.” I recently started reading Possum Living (which I highly recommend) which has really been inspiring me to cut out the conventional and go-it alone.
Between family “stuff” I’ve actually been getting quite a bit of sewing done. I mentioned earlier, a Betsey Johnson pattern I had finished – I got this in a box lot of patterns and fell in love. It is SO Little House on the Prairie Meets Star Trek. The banded cap sleeve makes me giggle, but actually looks very cute on. I want to make a longer version for spring. This is completely the type of dress I could live in in the summer. Ah summer…
This was a very quick sew – as I mentioned in an earlier post, I took extra time to do french seams, a rolled hem, and lined the sleeve bands in broiderie angialise.
I also started on some more “ready made” stuff for My Etsy Shop including this knit “jacquard” set, which reminds me of the coziest pair of long-johns I had as a kid – perfect log cabin wear.
I’ve had this romper on my dress form for a few weeks. I love the print on this satin, it has cute little pink birds and reminds me of the 1920’s. I will make one of these for myself I think…
And last but not least, I sewed a bra before going to the visitation this afternoon. I like the gathered front. I sewed three little yellow buttons down the front and am contemplating a bow…
I am trying to kill some time between going to my Grandmother’s second viewing tonight… I’ve had a headache all week! The Funeral is tomorrow… even though it was an open casket viewing, it still hasn’t really “hit” me yet. My dad looks fantastic, which is good news, but I think he is getting cabin fever from not being able to go to work… or even go for a drive. While my cousin and I were preparing photos for the funeral, we found old wedding pictures of both of our parents. My mom and dad were such a good looking couple! I put one of their wedding photos up on my fridge to inspire…
Today I spent some time with two of my aunts and my cousin, preparing a bunch of My Grandma‘s awards and photos for her visitation and funeral. It was a lot of fun to see her Real Estate License from 1963, and all of her old photos. My favourite was one of her, standing in front of the ocean by an old Oldsmobile, the wind blowing her skirt and hair, she looked so happy. My grandma did so much. I found a bunch of pictures from my parents wedding – it was fun seeing them so young and in love!
I got up early this morning and made Chili in the slow cooker, finished off my orders and got them out in the mail. I still need to send away my give-away gift, and will probably get to do that tomorrow. We are supposed to get a huge snowstorm tomorrow, and Dan’s school has cancelled classes. I’m looking forward to spending a snow-day in.
I received, what I hope is, the last of the bad news I will hear in a while. Yesterday morning we lost my Grandmother. It shouldn’t have come as a shock, as she has been slipping away for a while now, but I certainly wasn’t expecting that phone call. We already miss her smile and her warmth. She really was one of those people who made this world a little nicer to be a part of. We will get to say our final “Goodbye’s” on Friday, but she will live on forever in the books she published, such as Outhouses and Apple Pies, in her detailed ink drawings, and in the lives of the many people she touched.
Yesterday, despite the bad news in the morning, my cousin and best friend and my mom and I went out to do some wedding shopping, and purchased my wedding dress and the bridesmaids dresses. Somehow it felt right to embark on this venture (for real), to start something new with the passing of my grandmother. I know she would have wanted it and I am so sad I won’t be able to share one of the most important days of my life with her.
Today, Dan and I purchased our invitations, and started (and completed!) one of the many crafty projects I have planned for the wedding:
Our table numbers! We will still need to get a large frame to do the names and numbers on it, but these will sit on each of the tables. I think they are so pretty and they were so fun to do; my fingers are black with ink from our stamp pad.
This whole week has been extremely exhausting. Between the thought of losing my father, actually losing my grandmother, temporarily losing my sewing machine, and maybe getting laid off from my job, I’m not sure how much more bad I can take! I am glad we were able to take time to focus on the wedding to even out all the bad with the good. I even found a photographer who totally gets the look we are going for and is very, very reasonably priced.I am going to work tomorrow, then will need to take the rest of the week off, as I am helping my aunt prepare some things for the funeral… I also just need time to catch up on sewing – I have one more order to fill plus my giveaway, then I will be caught up and hopefully in store for a week of good after this week of bad.
Well, I just finished the draw for my Giveaway, using the magic of Google and a random number generator… the lucky winner of the undies is….
Jackie – you can see her website here!
I have emailed the runner up with my coupon code!
This was so exciting for me, and as a whole, it’s been a great day! My dad is being discharged tomorrow and will not need surgery, I got to spread the love through my Give Away, I am wedding dress shopping in a couple of days, I have a new lease on life!
Now if only I’d get a call about my poor, broken sewing machine…
Took my sewing machine in to be repaired today… it may not even be looked at until Thursday which put a huge damper on my plans. However, I am saved by my dear cousin who is lending me her sewing machine! Which is good because I am really in the crunch to get orders done.
Dad looks much better than I had anticipated and is going in for angioplasty tomorrow so we should have more news then. My mom and I will go with him for the day. He seemed in good spirits, despite having a pretty life altering experience, and joked with us like he normally would.
I have to admit, the thought keeps flashing through my head… not having my dad at my wedding, or around to see his grand kids. It’s a very scary thought and is reminding me of how precious life is, and how extremely fortunate I am to have such an amazing father.
Well… my dad is in the hospital, he had a heart attack yesterday afternoon. And this morning I seriously broke my sewing machine.
Honestly, how can things get any worse? Was I Hitler in my previous life? Can’t one thing just be easy?
Last night Dan bought me a delicious Laura Secord Chocolate Truffle Cake; rich, slightly bitter, perfect texture, and it came at just the right time! I found out this afternoon I did not get a job I had applied for and had really, really, really wanted. It was a 9-5, Monday to Friday, great work environment, a block from my apartment… I had a great interview, the people seemed great, I got my hopes ever so high… and this afternoon received a “We regret to inform you…” email.
Maybe this is yet another sign that I should focus solely on Ohhh Lulu.
I also made a sale this morning, shortly before getting the “we regret to inform you” email. Maybe that was another sign?
I am trying to be optimistic. Trying…
My plans for the rest of the evening? I am going to eat the chocolate cake mentioned above, then feel guilty about it for the rest of the week. Oh well, C’est la vie.
In other news, I want to brush up on my french. I don’t feel like a good enough Canadian, be as rusty as I am.