I’m a little behind in posting this, but I took all the photos for it last weekend, so it’s better late than never! I told Shawn that I wanted to spend all of last weekend sewing. I often think this, but then things come up and I get a minimal amount of actual sewing done. But last weekend, I stuck to it and actually got some projects done. Or got a solid start, at least. A few weeks ago I got a good deal on shirting from fabric.com, so it was time to make some shirts for work.
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Nassau is a weird post in the Foreign Service world as far as housing goes. Housing at most posts comes complete with the standard issue Foreign Service furniture. It’s kind of weird to see pictures from people’s homes around the world and think, “Hey - I have that exact same living room set.” However, in Nassau, all housing is landlord-furnished. As you could guess, this can either be really good, or really bad.
It’s Friday (good), but I’m up early (bad). Shawn had to go to work early this morning, which means that the dog got up early, which means that I needed to get up early. His early departure also meant that Shawn did not make the coffee this morning (really bad), so forgive me if I’m not exactly coherent. I also woke up this morning feeling like I got too much sun yesterday - like my skin is stretched too tightly over my body (also bad). I firmly believe that you should never really feel your skin. And as much as I like having a “healthy glow,” that’s countered by the fact that I’m terrified of looking like a piece of worn-out leather when I’m older. That and skin cancer.
As some of you may know, I spent a lot of time while we were in Kyiv working on starting my own business. Witty Designs is a line of handbags and accessories - both designed and constructed by myself. It has kept me busy over the past two years, but the biggest stumbling block in Kyiv was that I could not ship products anywhere. However, I was able to hold a few trunk shows during our last year in Kyiv. I am so grateful to members of the Embassy and expat community there who encouraged me with their ideas and, most importantly, bought my bags.
This past weekend was our last official holiday in Ukraine. Happy International Women’s Day to all the ladies! I really think we should take this holiday more seriously in the States - who doesn’t love receiving some bright flowers in the midst of winter? I decided to celebrate by doing some shopping. I realized that although the exchange rate here has been moving drastically in my favor, they haven’t started jacking up the prices of fabric yet. So fabrics that used to be $13 a meter are now closer to $8 a meter. Much more in my price range. So I picked up a few meters on Saturday:
Today I had what is perhaps my most successful shopping trip in Kyiv to date. It probably helped that I had really low expectations going in. In fact my mom was on standby to purchase the needed items in the States and ship them to me if today had been a total bust. But I was triumphant in finding fabric and notions for my dress for the Marine Ball.
So I finally have some photographic evidence to share that I have done more than walk the dog and watch television all summer. Although I did do a significant amount of both of those things, I admit.
Although my birthday is still a week away, last week I received this birthday package from my mom. I think she sent it so early in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last year when a shipment to Kyiv was lost and I finally got my birthday presents and several cards over six months late. She had told me that it was on its way and it was up to me when I opened it. I had every intention of waiting until my birthday, but then the box got here and I just couldn’t wait.
Thanks to everyone for your supportive comments and e-mails after my last posting. I’m settling in to 2008 and it’s going well, so far. I’m working on several projects for myself and for gifts and, as a result, I’m staying very busy. I realized that I haven’t posted photos of my last few projects, so here they are.
I’m not usually one that’s into making New Year’s resolutions. Mostly because I know I won’t keep them and then will just feel guilty about it. And I honestly don’t need anything else to feel guilty about. However, this year is a little different for me. I wouldn’t say that I’ve made resolutions, exactly. It’s more that I’m trying to start with a clean slate in 2008. (And I seem to have inadvertently made a catchy slogan for myself.)
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