Listen to your Mother

How many times have I regretted not listening to my mother! My mother wanted to teach me to sew. My mother wanted to teach me to cook. My mother told me to take Home Ec and Spanish. I wasn't that rebellious, but for some reason I never let my mother teach me to sew. I never let my mother teach me to cook. I took Drama and French.

Fast forward past adolescence. I still didn't let my mother teach me to cook. Of course she cooked mostly by recipe and I have those. When I take the time I CAN cook well but I tend to get distracted. Also, I can't find a few key recipes that I want to have. I did want to learn to sew but by the time I asked for guidance my niece had broken the sewing machine. As for the classes in school, well, I'm a SAHM in San Antonio so you can imagine HOW useful Drama and French are to me in my life today.

I'm trying to find something to do to help pay off our debt. I'm not sure where it is our money has gone since Mike actually made more last year than ever before, but go it did. Considering the fact that I have a College education and worked full time for the first 8 years of our marriage, I find it frustrating that I'm not contributing. Add that to the fact that I am not the most domestic goddess that has ever existed. Okay, who am I kidding, I don't invite people over because I don't want them to know how bad I let our house get! Anyway, I am creative so I'd like to find an outlet to bring in a few bucks AND make me feel I'm accomplishing something that lasts more than a day. Cleaning the house, cleaning the clothes, and grocery shopping seem to have to be repeated constantly and give me little sense of worth.

I made some cute T-shirts for Connor's class. I'd been experimenting with ideas for t-shirts, especially Christian t-shirts, for kids when I ran across this great craft idea on another blog--Chronicles of a Mommy, I have her button on my blog and she is such an inspiration. I really liked the way the shirts looked so I made a onsie for Sean's teacher's daughter. It was too cute (wish I'd taken a photo). Anyway, I'd really like to make and sell these shirts but it would be so much easier if I could use a sewing machine. I like the look I get doing it by hand but should I actually get many orders I'd be in trouble fast.

My normal MO would be to fret and worry about this and never do anything about it. However, a new friend recently told me she thought I was really laid back when I mentioned how I am a worrier. Perhaps I have changed in the last 3 years. I'd always wondered how I'd make it without my mother and now, well, perfect or imperfect I'm making it. Short of being late to school a few times and the fact that I tend to pay the bills late, I haven't yet burned down the house or ran away. Maybe this is the time in my life to try something without first imagining all the worst case scenarios (of course how bad could it be with kids shirts!)

I really want to put myself out there and do something, so maybe I will. Sean's teacher keeps asking me to start a business so she can buy from me and there are lots of mommies teaching at his school so... AND I did have a lady in charge of crafts at her MOPS group ask me to call her about organizing a craft when she saw me and Connor in our cross shirts at Target last fall(I used bleach and really didn't do a good job AT ALL, but she still liked them). So I'm thinking about whipping up some shirts and giving her a call since she told me to bring some to sell as well as teach a craft. Don't know if she would still be interested, but maybe I should check.

Of course it would be so much easier if I just knew how to at least sew a straight line on a sewing machine. Yes, Mother, you were SOOO right!