You've Got Mail!

A friend of mine needed a bit of a pick-me-up, and after I posted an Evil Dead diorama hat on Facebook, she "commissioned" one for Green Eggs and Ham (she's a teacher). I didn't think for a second that she was serious, but I chose to act otherwise, and so I made her a Green Eggs and Ham Hat.

The hat is fleece, with the decorative elements made with felt and accented with buttons. The hat is orange because the book is.

I also sent a Happy Hat, with the instructions that she was not allowed to be unhappy when she wears it.

Also made with fleece, with felt points for the sun rays. Both hats are made from the McCalls pattern I've been using a lot lately.

After a weekend of biting my nails when it was supposed to be delivered on Saturday, it finally arrived today, so I can post this now and not spoil the surprise. I am happy to say that my recipient enjoyed her surprise hats. However, now that she's on to me, I might need to find another victim for my idée fixe de chapeaux.

Broken Promises

Resolutions are a way for humans to punish themselves for being human.

No, really! You make grand plans for a new year -- losing weight, quitting smoking, finishing a project... Then when life happens and you can't/won't/don't follow through, you punish yourself and heap guilt on your head and label yourself a failure, or weak, or whatever. Bah!

This year, I am making no promises to myself. I hope to help my daughter become more self-sufficient. I hope to finish the basement, and get that wall painted finally. I hope to make it up to Ontario this year, and see my friends, whom I miss terribly. (OK, that's not really along the same lines as a resolution, but still...)

I mostly quit smoking last year, back in March, though I lapsed in December with the xmas stress making me crazy. They tasted so awful... I think this time I can make it stick. I need to pay more attention to my health, and work on making myself healthier. That includes losing some weight, and that particular hope/goal scares me most of all. I have a love/hate relationship with food and how it relates to my body. Unfortunately, I no longer have the luxury of youth to let me slide through poor decision-making. Added to the physical need to lose weight, my mental health is also suffering, and that may be a more critical reason.

This year has the potential of being a triumphant return to health and happiness, or an abysmal failure that will cost me a great deal. All I really want from 2013 it to survive it.