I've Become My Mother--

No photos--------- and when I tell you that it is because the planets have lined up in my favor and I have a mowed lawn, an empty laundry basket, and a gorgeous clean house and I spent the afternoon with knit group---- all at once---- you will forgive me. Won't you?

I do however have a confession to make, one that while shocking is a bit funny at the same time. I have always suspected that I have become my Mother, but there were still things 'outstanding' that I knew made me safe from the total absorption thing.

No longer. Let me explain:

My Mother (bless her soul) has been gone for years now and I miss her dearly. I've always said (and to her face when she was alive) that she was just about the cheapest woman I'd ever met. I mean so tight she squeaked. Che-ap. Let me tell you what I did and you will rise up and call me Mama!

I recently purchased some lovely underpinnings of the brassiere category. Sweet they were with good old underwire and a bit of lace on the straps. I bought 3 of them because they fit so well and looked so good in the bargain. Way, way before their time was up to be relegated to the scrap heap, the underwires began to poke through their casing, first causing pain to one armpit and then the other. That has happened before and I squinch the wire back through and tack back the end of the casing where the wire has worked it's way out. I really didn't think anything about this, as I say it was a repair I've done many times before. When the straps began to make my lovely bra's beyond annoying--- the straps fell down my arms constantly even when they had been adjusted to be as tight as possible, I was really pissed off! Those unmentionables had not seen their fair share of use, it was way too early for them to give up! After several weeks of pulling and shoving on the straps, and looking stupid in the bargain, it was time to do something about it. So, I went into the sewing room and did a bralteration!!!! Taking a pair of scissors I removed a slice of about an inch on both straps. Then using a nice tight and flat stitch, an elastic stitch actually, I butted the two ends of the cut straps together and stitched over the edges. The resulting straps may not have been as beautiful as they were before but I don't parade around in my undies anyway, who really cares? The bras have returned to their wonderfully serviceable state and I saved about $120.00! Woo Hoo I say!!!! Thrifty AND green!

Being the good bargain hunger I did what any self-respecting woman would do! I parlayed my savings (still green but of another sort!) into wonderful bargain! (Doesn't that sound better than to say that I spent the money I saved instead of buying new bras???) I purchased a new subscription from Schoolhouse Press for "Wool Gathering", now in it's 50th year. Wool Gathering is the little flyer began by Elizabeth Zimmerman. An excellent purchase all the way around. Then I purchased some new quilting fabric, some thread and a jelly roll strip of fabric as well. All that wonderful investment and I still have not spent the $120.00 I would have blown on new bras just because the dumb straps decided to go south. Literally. I am still on the hunt for more easily justifiable bargains, it is the least I could do!

Mom------ thanks! As always, you were right. Don't buy new what you can make new, I hear you loud and clear Mom. I hope you're okay about those things I "found free" along the way!