Update

I probably can't reliably say I will post on this blog more than every Saturday morning except on less busy weeks. Work, family and so many projects so here I am again.

In the last week or so what have I been doing?

Non-sewing related:

 I read The Secret Life of Bees, which I should have read before, although I listened to the book on tape a few years ago. Wonderful book. I have also started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I also think I am going to like a lot too. Another book I picked up at random this month at the library and surprisingly really enjoyed was Paula Dean's autobiography. Usually I stay clear of biographies of any kind, lots of detail about people you don't know that leave you thinking "who really cares?" so many are like reading someone else's daytimer. But Paula Dean's book is funny, honest and quite interesting, the story really of a woman who just did a ton of work to get herself out of a pretty desperate situation. It is all about working so hard so you didn't go down and sometimes she was close.

I have also started a sort of exercise program. DH has told me he wants baking in the house on a more regular basis and since he does all the cooking, which is very complicated and wonderful, that seems far enough. Of course not sharing his Acadian background, and coming from a more prosaic Prairie culture (my people are big on jellied salads, anything that involves a can of mushroom soup - his hunt wild mushrooms to make special dishes) I have been making some of the few things I can make without effort like Jelly Rolls. Well I can tell you that since this campaign has started I have been doing a far amount of standing-at-the-counter eating and there are twice as many calories at the counter than at the dinner table. I seem to be acquiring a jelly roll of my own.

So with walking less to work this summer because of my schedule I am making use of the treadmill my spouse brought home because his workplace (one of the most "family friendly" companies in the country) gives him a fitness allowance and the people in the office told him he had to spend it or lose it. 

Despite ruining the decor that has moved into a corner of the bedroom and DH has mounted a TV up in the corner.

Well now I am on a Number One Ladies Detective Agency fitness plan. I love this show and look for excuses to get on the treadmill so I can see it. One of the things I enjoy most is the fabric in Jill Scott's dresses, these lovely African cotton dresses. In fact I have to tell you that for the first time in the very long time that I have been divorced from husband #1 I have actually found a reason to miss him - he used to go to Africa every once in a while and always brought me back fabric - I should have put that in the agreement, that I would still get the fabric. Anyway. Only one regret isn't bad and I will have to find a good online supplier.

And speaking of husbands my DH has bought me a present that shows what a romantic guy he is - a 1953 Chevy wagon, because that is the year I was born. It has something called a double-shift and I don't know what that is, although I do know that I don't know how to do that, and he says that it also has the health benefit of helping him cope with the profound seasonal affective disorder that he has apparently suffered from for years and I have never noticed. He says now when he gets down with the Canadian weather in January and February he can go in the garage and work on my present which will really help him a lot.

Sewing related:

I went to a meeting this week about some consulting work for folks in the financial industry. I couldn't believe it. Everyone had on dark suits, including the CEO who had on a navy suit like the one I threw out when I decided to teach, although she was wearing some sharp yellow heels.

I came home thinking that if I am going to be doing a little work with them that I am going to have to expand or revitalize a corporate corner of my wardrobe (Carolyn I feel for you) so that involved going on the Vogue website and ordering some patterns. Of course patterns do not equal clothes (too bad about that) so I am going to have to get sewing, and of course nothing I ordered even remotely resembled a navy suit. More on that later.