Bridal Wear

I am really liking my Bridal class!  It's probably my favorite this semester—in fact, I think I want to re-take it another semester.  I actually get to do a fun project, use a little creativity, and learn stuff all at the same time!  I wish I'd taken a camera with me for Lindsey's first fitting, but I'll try to remember to take one to photograph my progress and show you the dress. :)

Super-Cool, Non-School Project!

Well, the title says it all!  I am working on a super-cool, non-school project and it is so much fun!  Fortunately my classes this semester don't require a lot of homework.  (Whether to finish a degree or to quit is still up in the air.  I will have to meditate on it.) 
Anyway, in my free time I'm making a children's book.  Not just any children's book, but one patterned from a childhood favorite.  It's going well, and I'm super-interested and super-excited. :-)  (When it's all done I'll post pictures.)

Further down on the agenda is to refinish my countertops.  The paint stuff is peeling off; when I got it I wondered if it might...and it does.  So I'm planning to redo them over fall break.  Maybe.  If I feel that ambitious.

In school I am taking Embellishments—so far we've aged fabrics, done applique, made fringe, done pin-weaving, sewn five different kinds of pleats and tucks, and done faggoting. 
I also have Knitwear, which is very good because this girl with 20-30 years of sewing under her belt has never learned how to use a serger. 
I'm taking Stress Management; so far we've learned about stress but not how to manage it.  And the teacher gave us a pop quiz yesterday—I'm not so sure she's got this down right.  ;-)
I'm taking Meditation and discovering that I'm really quite good at sitting very still and letting my mind be quiet when I have the chance to do it (I think this must be a Mom Survival Technique). 
And I'm taking Bridal/Evening Wear.  In that class I am making Lindsey's first prom dress—which she won't be able to wear until next year because she's not old enough to date.  But it will be a way pretty dress, made-to-order, and perfectly fitted (as long as she doesn't grow, gain weight or lose weight).  And it will have a corseted bodice because I know how to do those now.  I'll post pictures when it's done.
So if I can gear up to get myself to my classes, they're all right—especially Bridal, which is the most creative class.

But it's my own project that has me excited! It's gonna be super-cool!

Driving Test

It was nerve-wracking, but I got through it. 

Jason passed his driving test on the first try this morning!  He did great; I had all the nerves for him while I was waiting.

Now we have an errand-boy! :-)

What would YOU do?

I am quite torn.  Well, maybe only sort of torn.

While my life has become infinitely busier since I started school, I think it has become more boring as well. (How's that for a paradox?)  I used to have deep thoughts.  I used to have an idea what was going on with my kids.  I used to think about what kind of super-powers I would have.  I used to redecorate my house.  Now I mostly think about school and homework. 

And I wonder, Why am I going to school, again?

The thing is, I don't really know why.  At first I was interested because I'd picked up a copy of Threads magazine at the store, and as I thumbed through it I realized that even though I am quite a good seamstress, I didn't know a lot of what they were talking about.  I thought, I should get into the fashion design program at SLCC and learn all this stuff!  It sounded pretty cool.  And then I thought that if I did learn all that stuff I could sew for people from home and maybe earn a little extra money.  Yeah, it all sounded pretty good.

But the more time I spend in school, the more I wonder if it's really "all that."  I have learned a few techniques that I didn't know, but a lot of the sewing stuff is review to my 20 + years of practice.  I have learned a lot about pattern making, but in the pattern classes I realized that I could figure out how to do it just by reading the book.  Often I'd just do the work on my own—without teacher instruction—and when it was due the teacher would tell me if it was good, bad, or ugly.  My work was always fabulous!  (No, I'm not just being silly—it really was.)  So I kind of think, If I had the book—or knew what books to read—I could learn this at home by myself.

In the mean time I'm also taking classes like Algebra and History to complete my degree.  These classes are very interesting, but they take up a lot of my brain power and time. I really like all my classes when I'm at school—even Algebra and History, and I'm very conscientious about getting my homework done well and on time.

But I miss being at home.  I miss having the time to work on my house, grow my pathetic garden, can tomatoes and peaches, paint the walls, sew for my kids, try out new and exciting recipes (or just spend the time to make some old favorites), shop for my family . . . 
I really miss being a housewife—the mom and the wife of my home.

So I look at my objectives in going to school in the first place.  1. Learning new (sewing) stuff.  Yep, I think if I knew what books to look at I could do it on my own.  2.  Earning money by sewing from home.  Um, I'm not sure I'm quite so keen on that any more.  But even if I was, do I really need a degree to do it?  Would any of my clients ask about my English grades?

inside my head

On the one hand, it would be kind of cool to get my degree.  And I don't want my kids to get the message that dropping out is OK (although, really, my situation is not quite the same as theirs, is it?).  And I'm pretty proud of my fantastic grades.

On the other hand, I want to be home.  It's really cool to redecorate my house and do all the other afore-mentioned stuff.  And I'm pretty proud of my fantastic work at home!

On the other hand, maybe I'm just tired of school because I haven't had a real break yet.  Maybe if I take next summer off I'll feel differently by next fall.

On the other hand, UGH!  Nine more months of almost non-stop college before I get a break just so I can make a decision about whether or not to keep going?  That's like an entire pregnancy!!

On the other hand, it's only about two more years.

On the other hand, my little kids are growing up now while all my attention is focused on school! Jessica, my baby, will be ten in two years.

It goes around and around and around.  What would you do if you were me?

In fact, I'm going to put a poll in the sidebar!  Not like you really get to choose for me, but it will entertain me. :-)