New Hobby

Within our first week of getting to El Paso, the realtor we were using (and now turned friend) invited us to a cookout they were having along with other military couples. There was another pregnant wifey there (again turned friend) who invited me to join in her Fort Bliss craft group. I kept saying "yes I'd love to" for about a month, but other things kept coming up. Finally, last week, I was free and went to the craft group albeit with nerves in my stomach.

I don't have the easiest time trying new things. I usually do and am up for trying just about anything, but it's always hard for me. Just have to push the nerves away!

Anyway.. I'm so glad I went! Turns out it's actually a stitchers group and these ladies are all waaay more advanced than I am. As in, they were making quilts and I don't know how to sew a button on a pair of pants! So yeah... way advanced. I felt comfortable right away though. I enjoyed chatting and had every intention of coming back next week, but not really participating.

Then the host got ahold of me and insisted I start a project. We'll start you easy she said.. with cross stitching. I looked at her like she was insane, but mindlessly followed her into her sewing room and let her load me up with supplies. It's like she had me brain washed and I could say no. All I knew is that I was in over my head. Before I knew it, I was on my way home with everything I needed to make a burp cloth for my son. Except confidence.

I took everything home and stared at it for a few hours giving myself a pep talk. You can do this. It's just a burp cloth. Who cares how it turns out, Andrew's just going to be spitting up all over it anyways. I'll be able to keep it and tell him later on, "look what your mama made for you". Just try it.. who knows.. you might be a genius at cross stitching. I finally pick up the cloth and clumsily thread the needle.. I'm all thumbs. I can't figure out what the hell she meant by stitching all in the same way and something about top left to right bottom. Right bottom of what???

The next afternoon I leave a desperate comment on above mentioned "friend" who forced me to start this crap anyways, letting her know I was giving up until we met up next. I vented and vented. Then picked it back up, pissed that I was failing, and was determined to conquer this burp cloth.. it was not going to get the best of me.

That's all I needed I guess. Something clicked and I figured it out just like that. I'm glad I was home alone because the happy dance that ensued after that was probably not pretty. I was so flippin proud of myself.

The host said if I come back on Thursday with an E done (his name is part of the design and you have to start in the middle) she'll call it a success. I'm not done yet, of course, but it's only Monday and look what we have so far...

In the end, it'll say "Andrew" and the name will be being (that drives me crazy) towed away by a tow truck.. hence the wheels on the bottom of his name. It's not perfect by any means, but I'm glad that friend of mine (we can take the quotation marks away now ) ;) introduced me to something I NEVER would have tried on my own!