Life of talent, lack of skills

This is the most sewing that I do.  A needle and thread to put buttons back on my husbands shirts. Recently, I have been approached with two shirts that require more than just a needle and thread, but I am terrified to break out my sewing machine and give it a try.

As a child, I became involved in 4H and my "talent" was crafts and sewing. I sewed my own clothes and then modeled them. I'll admit, I became pretty savvy with a sewing machine, despite the 83-year old lady who insisted that I was doing it incorrectly before I even sewed a stitch! I still remember the smells of the building and the older ladies that were helping us. I remember the feel of the pedal and the sound of the sewing machine and how excited I became when I could finally sew quickly, efficiently, and correctly.

Fast forward. I head off for college and all of my sewing days are done. In December 2003, my mother-in-law bought me my first ever very own sewing machine. It's an amazing machine and I set to work, assuming I had retained my sewing talents, I set to work on a shower curtain. Not just any shower curtain, but a shower curtain with tabs. I also chose a plaid fabric. Oh, and the fabric was like sackcloth. Needless to say, it did not turn out well, but I hung it up anyway because it was a matter of pride. "It's supposed to look like that!"  As my husband of 4 months laughed every time he walked into the bathroom. Since then, I have not attempted to sew. I put the machine away and have not dug it out.

I think it's time to break free of my sewing fears and get back into the sewing business. I loved the stress-relief, the ability to get lost in my sewing and push the world aside for a while. Until that happens, we will all have excellently appointed buttons on our shirts.

A new favorite

Since having our first child in May 2010, it has become increasingly important to us to try to eliminate harsh chemicals and dangerous items from our home but still be able to get the cleaning results that we need. This has been a trial and error, and somewhat expensive, experience for us. Over the past 11 months, we have purchased and tried countless "organic" and "natural" products. Very few work as well as I need them to (and as well as they should).

A few weeks ago, I decided to use my $1.00 off coupon for a Seventh Generation product. Our local Target carries their products and so I decided to give their tub & tile cleaner a try. Why? Because I have NEVER found a product that will clean our shower, chemicals or chemical-free. We have terrible water here that leaves lots of deposits on our shower walls, floors and especially our glass shower door. We had been using a combination of Comet, for the shower floor and walls, and Magic Erasers for the glass shower doors and it was just making it look clean if you happened to glance into the bathroom but it was nowhere near getting rid of all of the soap scum and nastiness.

So, imagine my surprise when I sprayed the 7th Generation tub & tile cleaner all over the shower, walked away for 2 minutes, came back and cleaned as normal and all of the nastiness was gone. ALL of it! I called my husband up to the bathroom to show him how awesome it was and even he was impressed. This coming from the man that usually doesn't notice if the shower has been cleaned or not. I'm pretty sure I heard the hallelujah chorus streaming into our bathroom as I danced in circles and laughed to myself. Yes, it was that amazing. On top of all of that, I was able to rejoice for almost 5 entire minutes IN the bathroom without fainting or passing out from the chemical fumes that usually accompany a shower cleaning.

So, my friends. I highly recommend this product. Coupons are always on the 7th Generation website which makes it no more expensive than the fume-y, chemically enhanced sprays we all have tried at some point in our domestic lives.