First Trip Into The Fabric Store

My mom sewed a lot when I was young. She always made Halloween costumes for me and my siblings, and often made us clothes for school. I remember many trips to the fabric store to pick out ribbons, buttons, and fabric. Whenever we got tired we would sit down and flip through pattern books, fantasizing about next year's Halloween costume or picking out a new skirt for Mom to make.

Today was my first time in a fabric store as an adult. Alone. And lost.

Since I'm a beginner I had to get all the basic supplies. I managed to find scissors, pins, a pin cushion, a seam ripper (I still prefer to call it an un-sewer despite my sister's objections), a small assortment of needles, and a sewing gauge. I tried picking out some bobbins but became horribly confused. The packages had markings on them which led me to wonder...do different sewing machines need different bobbins?

Shy as I am I was too afraid--and too embarrassed--to ask one of the employees. Instead I decided to check my machine's instruction manual and return tomorrow. At the register I had a brief conversation with the clerk and I explained how I'm a complete beginner. She was very nice and made me feel comfortable about starting from scratch, though I was too afraid to ask her about bobbins.

Overall it was a successful trip. Maybe next time I'll actually buy fabric!

Potato Soup With Parmesan-Gruyère Gougères

Potato soup is one of my favorite foods though I've never made it before. I searched far and wide across the internet and finally found a recipe on allrecipes.com that sounded delicious. To serve on the side I found a recipe for parmesan-gruyère gougères. I stumbled across this one on foodgawker.com. I had never heard of gougères before but based solely on the recipe and picture decided I must try them.

Today I headed out to the grocery store to pick up all the ingredients. I had one heck of a time finding gruyère cheese. It was tucked away in a corner near the deli cases. The recipe called for grated gruyère cheese so I also had to buy a cheese grater. I'm embarrassed to admit that at age 21 I still didn't have a grater. I also had to pick up numerous seasonings I never before owned--basil, parsley, garlic salt. Once again, how embarrassing! But every cook needs to start somewhere.

The gougères turned out alright, just needs a little tweaking.

So, how did everything turn out?

Downright awful!

The gougères baked very nicely. The recipe was very easy to follow and took only half an hour to cook. The texture and flavor was wonderful. However I added too much pepper. I will definitely use this recipe again, but next time watch my pepper!

The potato soup was a severe disappointment. All the reviews said it was a great recipe if the red pepper was left out which I chose to do. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly yet it tasted horrible. The consistency was off and I could see bubbles of oil. Perhaps there was too much butter? It tasted more like clumpy lard with chunks of potato than potato soup.

Notice the awful consistency? It didn't taste any better.

I'm hoping to find another potato soup recipe. Somewhere among the heaps of recipes online I must find a good one! This one failed but I know I can find a better one.

So What Is A Realistic Goal?

Every few months I get fed up with my state of laziness and resolve to work out five days per week, cut out all soda and sweets, and eat more fruits and veggies. I get down on my body, citing undefined legs and jiggly arms as major problems. I'll keep up with my program, usually complete with rewards such as 'you can go shopping!' for about a week before falling apart completely. But it's not healthy or realistic.

So what exactly is healthy and realistic?

I'm not entirely sure. I know that the core goals are healthy. However, diving right in to a rigorous program with no flexibility gives my body no time to adjust. I feel weak and burnt out by day three or four. My muscles are sore, working out feels like a chore, and I crave all the junk that's on the strict 'no' list. I end up caving and going back to my old ways, dismissing all healthy reform as too restrictive. In reality I'm just not making my healthy reform in a healthy fashion.

The hardest part is setting a realistic timeline for working out. I tend to find my motivation in spurts. I work out every day for a few days in a row, and then when my muscles become sore, I stop working out for a month or two. I find gyms to be intimidating, and I lack motivation to work out at home. Classes keep me motivated and held accountable. If someone knows my name I am likely to return. Also, if I pay money in advance for a class, I am sure to keep the date.

My goal for this week: A yoga studio near my house offers free trial classes. I will attend a class this week, and hopefully purchase a pack of passes if the class is good. In addition to this free yoga class, I am making it my goal to do two videos on Netflix at home.

Knowing When To Snag A Deal--And When To Say 'No'

The words 'clearance' and 'sale' are like music to my ears. I get such a rush from finding the things I love for cheap. When it comes to my clothing I cannot stand to pay full price. So when I realized it's the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale I zipped right over to the website.

Normally I'm the kind of person to shop in store. I like examining an article from the front, back, side, and every other angle. I like feeling textures, and piecing together outfits (or, in this case, bra and panty sets) throughout the entire store. Shopping online limits this. I have to rely on just a few pictures and reviews, if there are any reviews, to make my decision. I also feel uneasy shopping online because of sizes. Even if I have the exact same article at home, such as a pair of jeans, I'll try them on again just in case sizing has changed (American Eagle likes to do this!). Victoria's Secret is notorious for vanity sizing.

From www.victoriassecret.com

However, I'm on vacation, and not about to say 'no' to cheap lingerie! I took the plunge and ordered six pairs of panties, two bras, and a satin slip.

Here I'll confess something: I'm a little bit addict to bras and panties. I like how they look all lined up in my closet. I like picking out frilly ones, lacy ones, barely-there ones, imagining a scenario for each one to be worn. Did I need to snag this deal? Is this something I should have said 'no' to?

I think I've crossed the threshold of justifiably needing underwear. Yes, most people wear them most days, but I think my collection is in the category of unnecessarily frivolous. While I may have been upset with myself at first for turning down such a bargain on my undies, I think ultimately I would have been better off saving my money. 

Next time I'll pause to think...do I really need this?

Kicking Off The New Year

Every year I make bold New Year's Resolutions. Every year they are the same. And every year I fail miserably at sticking to them. This year I would like to try something a little different. No, no, not new resolutions. I still have the same four in mind: learn to cook, learn to sew, save money, and get in shape. In years past I have kept them in my head and repeated them silently. A week later I would think to myself 'hey, I've only worked out twice this year! I must change that!' Two months later I'd think 'wow, I only tried a few new dishes. I should get started on cooking!'

However, never before have I told anyone about my resolutions. I'm the kind of person to dismiss them publicly as foolish. If you're so keen to make changes in your life, why should you wait until the New Year to do so? Despite my public shaming of resolutions I still made them silently because I did wish to better myself. There's always room for improvement in one's life, and the New Year is just as good of reason as any to get started.

This year, instead of keeping my resolutions silent like a twisted personal vendetta, I'm proclaiming them loudly here and to my boyfriend. I will track my progress on what will hopefully be a daily basis. By holding myself accountable to the public I am hoping to actually make the changes in my life that I have long dreamt about.

I have made another improvement from years past: these resolutions are premeditated. In the past month I have gathered resources such as a sewing machine, sewing books, cook books, and family recipes. I have a rough, and more importantly, realistic, plan of when and how to accomplish each of my goals. In the past I have set high goals which were either not feasible or lacked planning to reach them. For example, in the past I would say 'must work out at least five days per week!' without considering my fitness level. I would also say 'sew this really cute silk top that I'm imagining!' without considering that silk is a difficult material to work with especially for someone with no sewing experience, or a sewing machine for that matter.

This year I'm prepared. This year I'm ready to make some changes. This year I resolve to cook homemade meals more often, learn to sew, save more money, and increase my fitness level.