The world is full of love today.

There are so many reasons to be happy today. My nephew, Kai Joseph, was born this morning at 11:16. My sister and bro-in-law are over the moon, and I'm itching to get back down to Georgia for some serious kisses and face smooshing. This weekend started out chilly and overcast then opened up into the most beautiful Sunday. We helped friends move, ate amazing food, and spent time with Mike's cousin, showing them the ropes of Cambridge. It went too fast, but luckily the weather stayed put. I rode my bike to work for the first time this season, and stopped off at the library on my way home. Getting ready for work and winding down from the day with sunlight streaming in the windows has me all smiles.

I also finished sewing my very first dress this weekend! It has little ice cream cones all over it, and after I do a little more work to the back (first time with a zipper foot!), I'll be wearing that puppy to get ice cream every weekend. Or you know, every other weekend, or maybe frozen yogurt. Either way, I'm stoked and ready for the next one.

26 before 26: Slowing my roll & sewing a skirt.

It's Tuesday, and I'm still mourning the end of this weekend. I was in Ludlow since Thursday morning, fighting off a cold and anxiously awaiting Saturday night. Thursday night we went candlepin bowling with Mike's parents and Friday we got some of the best pizza in Springfield. Then Saturday came: we slept in, watched some Walking Dead, went thrift store shopping, then headed off to the Hu Ke Lau, starving and excited. Can I just say, if you ever have the opportunity, GO SEE SINBAD. After his two hour show, I left with sore cheeks and a bursting bladder (I couldn't bear to miss any of it!). The food was pretty phenomenal as well, and the Shocktop was only $3! All in all, the best $32 I've spent in a long, long time.

This week's weather took its cue from this weekend; except for some rain this morning, it's been sunny and in the SIXTIES for the past two days. This winter has been the most forgiving in my five years in New England, and though I'm not quite clawing at the walls begging for spring, I'll never turn down a beautiful day and the absence of a coat.

I also decided to slow my horses and turn my dress into a skirt since it wasn't really working out. I have two new fabrics that are destined for dresses, so I want to go to Sew Low Discount Fabrics to see if I can find a great pattern. I'm so scared of using patterns, but I'll never learn unless I dive in. And even though I feel like I took a step backward--and wasted a lot of thread and time being stubborn--sewing my own skirt was still on my 26 before 26 list. Real winners know when to quit. And start over. And, you know, from the beginning rather than closer to the end where I'd much rather be.

The cure for too much TV.

I've been watching too much TV. The thing is, I'm splitting Hulu+ with Jenna and I downloaded it onto Mike's Xbox this past weekend and, well, my bookshelf is mourning the death of my brain. I allowed myself one episode of Parenthood during dinner last night, then I blasted Pandora and worked on my very first dress. It's coming along painfully slowly (thanks to my ill-informed decision to not use a pattern...), but it was refreshing to spend the night using my hands and singing at the top of my lungs. In my defense, however, I never have this TV dilemma when it isn't winter.

Does it look like I have a mustache in that second picture? That was Mike's response to it. He's not so impressed by my Frankenstein dress.

26 before 26: #9 Pay off my credit card.

Last year I took a freelance development editing job on a whim. I had been feeling unsatisfied at my job for the better part of the year, and I was itching to make a big step in my career. It wasn't just about the money, though I was feeling the stress of a significantly raised rent and a significantly stagnant salary; I didn't feel challenged on a daily basis, and I could feel my work ethic eroding with the remainder of my 24th year. I was also getting increasingly dramatic.

So when presented with the opportunity to make some bucks on the side and to add to my slightly sad resume some real publishing experience, I jumped at the chance. I knew I had no idea what I was signing up for, and I even had to Google "developmental editing" to prep myself for what lay ahead. Halfway through the gig, I got my current job, and a part of me feels that having that listed on my resume helped me to appear a little more qualified for it. I ended up stumbling through the dark on the whole project--always second-guessing what fell under my charge and what didn't--but I learned a lot about myself and what I want from my career. I was able to get a glimpse into where I work today and I think I appreciate where I am now more because of it.

Long story short, I used the loot to pay off my credit card, #9 on my 26 before 26 list. I haven't made as much headway as I'd hoped, but we all know what they say about the best laid plans.

(365 Chances) #8: I like to move it, move it.

So I read over at Story of My Life that today is something called "Blue Monday," because of the passing of Christmas, holiday debt, and holiday weight gain catching up with us. Without knowing it, I started combatting it early this morning when I woke up at 5:46 am with Mike and went to the gym. Can I make a small confession? I've been a member of Planet Fitness for a while now, but in all the year and half a month I've known him, Mike has never known that. I'm not some super-secret-keeper; I just haven't gone. That's right: $120 straight down the drain. I never canceled my membership because I thought that eventually I'd get motivated enough to go. With my last job a good hour and twenty minute commute from home, I fell into the I-don't-have-time-for-this mentality, but now that the gym is on my way to work, I ran out of excuses.

Anyway, I make no promises, but I'm feeling pretty good about it. We'll see what my legs are saying tomorrow morning at 5:46 am, but for now they're feeling pretty good as well.

Also helping me beat the blues is a little spotlight over at Adventures of Newlyweds. Ashley and I went to middle school and high school together, starred in The Man Who Came to Dinner, played upside-down-stool-drums together in AP Chem (which I think reflected in our grades and Mr. Harrington's--yes, I remember his name and think of him every time I watch Breaking Bad--opinion of us), and were completely freaked out by one of teacher's Hump Day Dance. In those days, I was lucky to have quality over quantity in friendships, and Ashley was one of them. It was pretty heartbreaking when she moved off to Michigan way back when, but it seems she's pretty used to the jet-setting lifestyle, so I guess that was early practice. Funny the way life shifts and the places that you run into people again.

This weekend was awesome. After making dinner and settling into a Friday night in, Mike said, "It's kind of nice not having somewhere to be." And I realized, Yeah! I've been spending my weekends running around, seeing people, and as much as I've loved it, a weekend of wandering and no agenda was necessary.

Saturday we made a trip--through the awesome snow--to Sew Low Discount Fabric in Cambridge for some fabric for a curtain and one of the projects from DIY Dress Up, then to the Garment District in Kendall Square for some $1.50/lb clothes action, and finally to Buffalo Exchange to exchange some old clothes for a new-to-me pair of Free People corduroys and a pretty sweet Cape Cod t-shirt. Mike's parents were in the city dropping his sister off, so we all went out to City Girl for a delicious dinner.

Yesterday I spent the whole day in jammies, watching How I Met Your Mother and redoing my Kindle cover! I figured it out, and my Kindle now fits snugly inside. Then I took my experience and made another one as a gift, which I'll have to send out this week.

I have writing group tomorrow, and I'm proud to say I wrote something and submitted it Saturday morning before all of the errands. It's such a great feeling to be on top of my game again.

(365 Chances) #7: Sew a cover for my Kindle.

So I lied about write, write, writing last night. Instead I spent the night sew, sew, sewing. Which isn't to say the night was bust, in fact, it turned out to be very productive despite the wine and How I Met Your Mother happening simultaneously. I started the cover for my Kindle (based on the iPad case tutorial from Maggie Makes), which I have since decided to rip apart a little and start over. It's always hard to realize that you messed up--especially with my incessant desire to be finished--but the satisfaction of something well-made and an improvement in skills always trumps the extra time and focus on detail.

I also repurposed a sweater I bought at Frida Bee, which luckily shrunk a little when I washed and dried it. I cut out a big piece of fleece leftover from making stockings for Christmas and handstitched a big heart on it. I love the vibrant colors and the coziness of the felt. I borrowed one of my roommate's red tank tops and have been walking around the office with my heart on my…chest.

For the second time this week, right before bed, I noticed that it was snowing! I can't wait for the skies to just open up and dump it out on us. My office has renovations approaching, so I'm hoping a nice big snowstorm will coincide with my working from home days.

I'm so excited it's the weekend again, though it seems that four day weeks always seem to last the longest. On the docket is searching for a '20s Valentine's Day costume, getting loads of practice fabric from the Garment District's $1/pound area, grocery shopping, and lots of reading and cuddles. I'll probably throw some baking in there as well. 

Have a lovely weekend!

(365 Chances) #3: Recycled Quilt

I'm the roommate who complains when I find a perfectly recyclable container in the trashcan. (I'm also the roommate who doesn't say anything, but instead reaches into the trash receptacle and moves it into the recycling bin. Your children can thank me later.) That said, when Mike gave me the idea to fashion a quilt out of his old t-shirts rather than just throwing them away, I was up to the challenge. Granted, this picture doesn't zoom in on the glaring problems with my design and sewing handiwork, but I like to think that someday I'll look back on this, running my finger over the imperfections, and appreciate it for its flaws. I learn by doing, and I'm happy to say I'm on my way to making more quilts. 

(365 Chances) #2: Doing it myself.

Remember what I said about the catharsis of a new year? Well, it's really getting to me. Last night I spent the night watching How I Met Your Mother while cutting squares of scrap fabric for a quilt. Before that, I stopped at the resale shop near my house and bought some great sewing patterns for super cheap (unfortunately they're going out of business). I also considered buying an old suede jacket so I could cut it up and use the material (and am still considering it, apparently).

One of my 26 before 26 includes sewing my own dress, and since I got a brand spankin' new sewing machine for Christmas, I've decided to get jumping on my desire to make my own clothes. I feel like my style has taken the brunt of the hit from my low budget lifestyle, and I think making what I wear is a great practice in earning what I own. It's easy to stock up on cheap clothes when the urge strikes, but I'd rather have pieces I thought about, handpicked the materials, and spent time building piece by piece. But my history of self-teaching has proven that I make a lot of mistakes and go the longest possible way before getting it right, so I decided to take a little short cut this time. With the help of Red Velvet's D.I.Y. Dress Up e-course, I plan to whip up my own dresses, belts, hair accessories, and patterns within the span of this year. I'm pretty stoked, especially for all of the birthday and Christmas gifts I'll be able to fashion from it!

Who's with me?

26 before 26.

Today I turn 25 years old. It's funny, when I was in high school, it always felt as though 2004 (my grad year) would never come. It was as though life would stretch on without ever reaching what I saw as the end point. The year came and went. I graduated from high school, transferred colleges twice before finding the perfect fit (call me Goldilocks), moved 1,100 miles away, and I haven't felt it stop since. I fell in love (!!), found a real job, had my first story (now stories) published. I'm doing things I never thought I would do. I finally made it to New Orleans; I've visited so many new cities this year, a goal realized before I even recognized that it was happening. I trust that this year will bring so many things I can hardly expect or anticipate right now, on the cusp of a brand new year, but I thought I'd make some tangible goals for myself in the upcoming year for the inevitable stalls. It's a pretty small number, so let's make them count.

Thanks to the love Amy Morby for these free banners!

Fill-In Fridays

Today I did something from my 26 before 26 list, which I'm still working on. I woke up at 6:30 and went for a run around Ludlow. Alternating between jogging and walking, the burning in my lungs led to reminiscing about soccer practice in the Georgia winters. I've never been in amazing shape, but it feels good to take that baby step toward it. I'm happy to report that the Sauconys I bought at Marshall's a couple weeks ago are comfortable and my shins are doing well!

This morning was the first I recognized the winter ahead. The bathroom tiles were chilly beneath bare feet, my post-shower routine was shortened and rushed. I had to blow my hair dry rather than wandering around letting it air dry. Today it's sunny and chilly out, and I'm excited to wear a sweater for the first of the season. 

Working from Mike's home and getting excited for the weekend. I loved Fill-In Fridays last week, so I thought I'd give it another shot this week. Play along at the little things we do. 

1. You should always take time to relax with the ones you love.

2. The changing seasons make the world a happier place to be.

3. I can hardly wait for my upcoming travels!

4. Any day I get to play board games is my favorite day of the week.

5. Something totally dumb and ridiculous that I love is playing Left4Dead.

6. If I could, I would open a bakery tomorrow.

7. I rather like the scent of fresh bread.

xo, Mel.