The Yin to my Yang

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I've had a row of 7 bridesmaid dresses that needed altering for a month now, hanging on my mother-in-law's curtain rod.

They've been staring me down.  Tisking and shaking their finger at me, every time I would try to avert my eyes, hoping they wouldn't notice me sneak by.

I finished 4 of them pretty quickly, but there were the last 3 that needed to have the invisible zipper taken out along a ruched seam, taken in, re-ruched, and the zipper put back in. 

I told myself that I couldn't do any other sewing projects until I got them done, thinking that would help motivate and move me.  Just get them done, Katy.  So, I haven't done any sewing.  At all.

Ryan asked one evening why I didn't just get 'em done!?  I defended myself, I have finished 4 of them!  But these are the hardest ones.  Why didn't you start with those?  Because, in his mind, that's how he would have approached the situation.  Just get it off your plate.

I work best with a deadline.  Okay, I won't kid.  There has to be a deadline.  And then I wondered why I can't just be more the other way.

Ryan and I balance each other.  We all balance each other.

Especially experiencing it with my children, they all have their strengths.  Strengths that sometimes also contribute to irksome qualities.  

There are lots of things I wish I could do and wish I could be better at.  We all have those fleeting or permanent wishes, and I know there are so many in my control, I just have to get up and do it. 

Others are, well, for others.  So when I get frustrated with myself or with my children, I need to hit the pause, take 3 or possibly 4 deep breaths before I move forward to appreciate the now who and not pine for the should-be who or wish who.

Sitting on the couch listening to the oldest children chatter, Ryan on one side reading a book, I was doing the final handstitching on the final bridesmaid's dress.  

I was so close to finishing when I got a knot in my thread. Ergh.

Instead of fighting and yanking on it to make things worse, I worked it loose, carefully and methodically with my needle, not entirely sure that I wouldn't have to get another thread going to finish the last few inches of sewing the lining back in.

But I did.

And I also finished that last dress.  A work of love for dear sweet girls I love almost as much as my own.

And the wedding isn't until tomorrow.  That's right.  I got them off my plate with an entire day to spare.