The Sewing Mom

This past Saturday, we were invited to a crawfish boil. Obviously, a crawfish boil isn’t cause for getting dressed up, but while standing in my closet, attempting to find something decent to wear, I realized just how outdated my wardrobe is. You see, since my daughter was born, I have a huge tendency to go clothes shopping for her while not doing the same thing for me.

Years ago, I worked in clothing retail and purchased new clothing pieces regularly. Since becoming a mom and leaving my huge retail discount behind, I find I only buy myself one or two new items per year. So far this year, the only new thing I’ve purchased is the dress I’m going to wear to my nephew’s wedding next month, nothing more. I could sure use an update to my wardrobe. As for the crawfish boil, I wound up wearing a pair of denim capris that I purchased last summer and a shirt that I’ve owned for probably 8-10 years, in a neutral beige color. Pretty boring, especially when you consider all the beautiful colors that are available this summer.

I recently discovered AMI Clubwear for everything from a summer dress to tank tops to shoes and accessories. This morning I found this white collar shirt that would have been perfect for me to wear to the crawfish boil and would be a great piece to wear anytime. A classic look, a white shirt is a must have piece and this one would help me update my closet. Guess my next big project need to be to get rid of a bunch of old clothes and get updated!

There are so many reasons to have home security, and there are so many types of home security available, everything from a baseball bat to exterior lighting to home alarm systems. I’ve even heard that planting hawthorne bushes, or any kind of bush with thorns, under home windows, can deter potential burglars.

We live in a pretty safe neighborhood, but that’s not to say there aren’t break ins to people homes and their vehicles. Our own van was plastered recently with food products, probably by some drunken teens, and we’ve had neighbors who experienced stolen personal property. Unfortunately, the neighbors who live behind us have chosen exterior lighting, motion sensor lights to be more specific, to aid in their own version of home security. Normally I wouldn’t complain, but Dallas is a very windy area and whenever the wind blows, their new, ultra super bright lights go off and they’re facing our bedroom windows! To give you an idea of how bright these lights are that are waking me up almost every night, there is almost a 1/2 acre of lawn in between our bedroom windows and those lights. There are also several trees and bushes that the light has to pass through, not to mention the 2 inch wood blinds covering my bedroom windows. And yet, through all of that, the light shines through, bright as the sun, waking me up.

What I’d really like to do is recommend to my neighbors that they take advantage of a wireless security system for their home and give the motion sensor lights a rest! They could get a platinum package for under $150 that would include 15 entry points, 1 motion detector, and even 1 garage door sensor. The only thing they need to do is call this toll free number, 877-470-2751, and they’ll be on their way to a safer home and I’ll be on my way to a better night’s sleep. As a bonus, if they call the toll free number, they’ll even receive 2 keychain remotes with their order. My bonus will be not feeling so tired every day.

So seriously, for those that have neighbors, stop with the bright lights at night and take advantage of wireless security system instead.

It’s Friday! And, time for my favorite weekly meme, Four Foods on Friday.

This week’s questions and my answers:

#1. Do you celebrate Memorial Day with a picnic, cookout, road trip or some other way? Not usually, and this year, it’s just a normal weekend for us. I am working hours on all 3 days this weekend and my daughter has yet another big school project to work on So, hopefully we’ll get some time to be outside by the pool, and the weather will cooperate!

#2. What are staples at your summer time cookouts? We grill out all year long, so probably the only thing different would be that we eat more potato salad in the summer!

#3. What drink do you find most refreshing on a hot summer day? Freshly brewed iced tea, with lots of ice!

#4. Share a recipe for a picnic side dish. That would have to be for potato salad

Peel, chop into bite size pieces, and boil as many potatoes as you would like in your salad. Also boil a few eggs, both to add to the salad and as garnish. Allow the potatoes to cool once they’re done cooking. Then, in a large bowl, combine about a cup of mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip), 2 T yellow mustard, a tsp. of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper and a tsp of celery salt, all to taste. Chop up all but one of the boiled eggs and add to salad, mix everything together. If you like, you can also add a dab of relish. Slice the last egg and position slices on top of potato salad. Sprinkle paprika all over the top.

Years ago, my husband and I hired a financial planner to handle our retirement accounts and life insurance.  It was during a time when my husband was self employed and I wasn’t working, so we needed professional advice on our investments and, we needed to carry our own life insurance policies which we’d always purchased through our employers in the past.  I do think it was one of the smartest decisions we’ve ever made because, when it comes to making investments, I’m very intimidated by the whole system.

I majored in finance in college, but I think when it comes to the stock market and investing, there are just so many options it can be very confusing.  I’ve looked at a variety of online trading sites over the last few years, but I’m always too nervous to commit to anything.  However, I also do believe that right now could be a very good time to get into the stock market.  There are so many good stocks available at very low, even record low, prices that it sure does make it tempting.

So, I still get emails from various sites to use them to make my investment choices, but I still haven’t gotten over my nervousness.  I hesitate, and basically talk myself out of making an online stock purchase.  I recently started looking at a new online options broker at TradeMonster.com and am seriously considering making my first online investment because TradeMonster has some very helpful educational tools to help me make a smart decision on what to do with my hard earned money. They are also know for their customer service and value pricing. After looking at their system, I think it is something that will make me feel less intimidated and more confident in investing my money for my future.

I’ve been thinking about this of late and though I’d share my thoughts. You see, I’ve sort of been monitoring how we use our computers in our home. Obviously, I use mine for blogging and earning some side income, not to mention to showcase my sewing projects, but I also use a computer as my primary tool for working from home for my part time job. My husband uses his computer for work, but also for downloading music and uploading movies. My daughter uses the computer for staying in touch with all of her friends via IM and email, but also, she utilizes the computer a lot for school, whether it’s homework or research projects, I’m not sure what we would do without the computers.

I have to think that one of the biggest benefits of the internet is being able to take advantage of search tools. I know my daughter has had to research some rather obscure items and being able to type a word or two into a search box and come up with instant answers and images for homework problems has been a huge time saver. Imagine if we had to run to the library any time she needed something. I think we’d be setting up camp there instead of spending our time in the comfort of our home!

I remember one English assignment where she had about 100 words that she had to determine what part of speech they were. Many of them we could figure out, but some words can be used in more than one way and so it was tricky. Being able to do a search on a word to learn if it’s a noun, adjective or verb saved my daughter so much time. Yes, we could have sat and looked those words up in the dictionary, but her assignment may not have been completed on time.

I do wish I had taken the time to search Allergy Control Using AAfter.com Web Search before moving to Dallas. You see, I didn’t realize until after we moved here that Dallas is one of the worst areas in the country for allergy sufferers and I have had so many problems since moving here. I have constant headaches from April-October and I now live on allergy medications. Knowing ahead of time what I was getting myself into may have allowed me to take precautions before arriving.

So, my point is, I’m not sure what we would do without our computers and the information highway we have at our fingertips. We do have friends that do not have internet access in their home and I often wonder how their daughter’s get the information they need for their homework assignments. Maybe they camp out at the library?