As I Live and Breathe

Let's get the suck out of the way first, shall we?  No, I haven't posted in a while.  No, things are not great.  Yes, MS is the culprit.  Yes it has interrupted pretty much every part of my life.  We hates it.  But it knows.  New drugs, new tests, new weird diagnoses (speech arrest?  sure, okay.  you can work!  from home.  closely monitored.  have you thought about getting your doctorate?  Of course!  I'll lay on one couch and diagnose patients who lay on another couch!  Ba-dum-dum!  Thanks folks I'll be here all week!)

Plus the calendar might not announce the beginning of summer but the thermometer does.  Summer is the enemy.  Summer with the hot, deadly sun beating down.  The humidity.  My blood pressure dropping when I sit.  Dropping more when I stand.  Because let's just throw that on top of things, okay?  So I live upstairs in the relative comfort brought to me by the window air conditioners.  I try to get used to the new drug regiment.  I laugh at myself because writing when you're light headed?  It results in some funny stuff.

Oh, right.  Creative crap.  The stupid jacket is done, except for fully attaching the lining.  Pictures, of course:

You can tell from the last picture that both Victoria and I are so over this project.  That might not be the case if we hadn't SKIPPED SPRING THIS YEAR.  Seriously, the weather went from winter to summer.  There was no transition.  It was rain.rain.rain.rain then HEATwithrainHEATwithrainOHHII'MTHESUNkiddingit'srainingrain.rain.rain...

you get the idea.

So what now? 

Well, I have been rather limited.  The blood pressure thing makes it tough to sew for any lengthy period.  The muscle cramping/pain put the kibosh on knitting, though I'm happy to report last week was the first time in six months I was able to knit.  That's a big deal.  Knitting is my yoga.  Definitely something I could use right now.  But then an opportunity presented itself.

I've been looking for a vanity for some time now.  I have no idea why, just roll with me here.  I guess I'm hitting the girly girl phase late in life?  Who knows.  Being the nerd I am that meant research!  Love research.  Research led to the realization that vanities are expensive.  Holy crap.  And why?  I went to Target and looked at one and it was pretty shoddy.  I mentioned my quest to mom who then asked if I wanted the one up in the bedroom my sister and I shared growing up.

...

We had a vanity in our bedroom?!?!

Yeah dummy.  There was a vanity.  Good job, Captain observant.  The parentals brought it over when they took me for my six month MRIs.  Funny how I remember us throwing things in it but never using it for its given purpose.  Anyway, behold!  The vanity!

In its original condition.  Of course it isn't staying like this.  Of course there will be changes.  Of course I will blog about the process.  Of course I wore safety glasses.  Of course I took pictures of that.  Of course I'll post them.  Of course I'll blame it on the meds.

Oh She's Good

I was expecting to post pictures of the finished jacket today.  Progress has gone quickly which I contribute to making the prototype.  Doing so meant I actually knew what I was doing.  Here, check it out.

Collar, front, and top:

And the added bottom:

All I had left was to hem it, add the cuffs, collar and front facing and boom!  The end.  Well except for the buttons. 
I was golden.  Seriously.  I fully expected to have this puppy done today.

BUT!

My mom.  Oh that little minx.  Three days ago she uttered these six words; "are you going to line it?"  No!  No I wasn't going to line it!  I didn't need to!  The book never called for a lining so no.  No.  Lining.

But those six "innocently" uttered (I am so on to you mom) words ate away and rattled around in my head for three days.  And now?  I AM GOING TO LINE THE STUPID THING.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.  Your powers of suggestion STILL work.

(Oh, and also?  I am on to you.  Nice try asking if I was going to line it then asking which fabric I'm using.  You know which fabric it is because YOU ASKED FOR ANY I HAVE LEFT OVER.  Ha!  Caught!  You're slipping, lady!  This is exactly the reason I started taking my new medication at night.  Dopey in my sleep?  Not a problem.  Dopey during the day?  I spontaneously burst into my Tim Wood laughing impression and nearly pass out from the giggles.  It's cool.  I doubt he reads this.)

No It's Not A Lab Coat

Hey there from the land of new medicine hell.  I have a condition cause by MS that causes electric shock sensations to run from my head down my spine and arms.  It has gotten to the point where I can't take it.  I called the neuro to find out what to do and was prescribed a medicine that I was allergic to.  I called and told the neuro's office and his solution?  Take it two times a day instead of three.

Yes, the neurologist is trying to kill me.

After asking if he was trying to kill me I was prescribed a new medication that does NOTHING.  Thursday I have my six month MRIs and the lovely meeting with Mr. God Complex.  I mean the neurologist.  Always fun.

Okay, I have to confess that making the jacket really intimidated me.  Hence I procrastinated.  But today I bit the bullet and made the prototype.  Process in pictures:

Yay!  A lab coat!  I did alterations to the pattern before cutting out the pieces.  I definitely still think I'm way bigger than I am in reality.  Next will be cutting out the pieces for the final project and then sewing it.  I'm thinking that once I do that spring will suddenly appear.  So maybe I can bring on warm weather by finishing this sucker.  Because IT'S MAY.  WHERE IS THE SUN?  WHY ALL THE RAIN?  GAH!!!

Little Shoes

The new drug suckitude continues here at Chez Chic.  This new medicine is a little decepticon.  I think the side effects are worse than what it's supposed to do, which I really don't think I've experienced the good effects yet.  Of course this was only the second day that I had all three doses.  A positive?  It's chewable!  Therein also lies another decepticon trait.  It starts out tasting okay and then BLECH!  Stupid deceptive drug.

Ahem.  Moving on.

Before continuing this post I would like to say I AM NOT PREGNANT.  Now that that's out of the way, look! 

Little shoes!  So precious.  So quick to make.  So going to make a pair of these for myself.  What?

Also I've started the major undertaking of sewing a new spring jacket.  I'm glad my mom will probably not read this until she gets back from Florida because she might faint.  I'm using a freaking pattern.  Ugh.  Terrible memories of home ec.  But hey, I consider it a learning process.  I'm even doing the unthinkable and making a muslin (body block, prototype, take your pick) before cutting into the final product.  I know people, this is unheard of for me.  Seriously.  Usually I just jump in and figure, "pff, how can I do this wrong?"

But when you're using awesome material for the finished product like this:

Sometimes this is where you start:

I know.  You're thinking hey!  Why are you making this twice.  In the words of a very sweet little girl.
"Because I want to!"  Also because I don't want to mess up.  Also because I've already done the alterations and I want to see if they're accurate.  Also because why not?

Yeah fine sure

Blah.  Bad week, bad week.  Ended up calling my neurologist and a new medicine was prescribed.  Except THEY DIDN'T CALL IT IN TO THE PHARMACY.  Actually they're probably trying to get approval from the insurance company.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  Anyway tonight mom came to the rescue.  And brought Benny who is currently sleeping beside me.  Cheers all around.

Tonight I made a quick project.  This wasn't anything that I made up, it's from a book, Making Children's Clothes.  And it is super cute.

I wanted Benny to model it but that isn't very sanitary. 

Speaking of so cute...

That's my 14 year old buddy.  Love.