Challenge Check-in Week One

I did not buy anything this week, which was easy because I barely left the house but to take the scalawags to school.

I did covet. A lot. It takes so very very little for my mind to think that because I find something attractive that it should consequently belong to me. As I examined my thoughts, I was embarrassed to see that it is not just clothes. My coveting problem goes waaaaaay beyond just clothes. I am absolutely certain that a ton of my dissatisfaction comes from this mental highway right here. There is a benefit in making myself aware of it and I hope that I can find an off-ramp from this highway soon without a forty-three car pile up.

Inventory

I added two items to my inventory that had gone previously unrecorded: that fabulous turquoise petticoat and the Monet print cardigan from my amazing sister which I had deemed too warm for summer but not warm enough for winter and subsequently set aside for far too long.

Go-To Catalog

I have long drooled over a Finnish fashion trend which colorfully pairs a cardigan and full skirt with an obi belt. (Yes, the Pinterest Board for this is called Fairytale Fashion. I feel quite strongly about this look.)

I have loved the look for ages, so much so that I am using it to dress a character in the novel I am writing. At any rate, when I found the cardigan again I was so happy because I got to thinking that I could use it to recreate the look.

So here we are! I have a one new look to add to my dress-up catalog. I think I will even wear it to church tomorrow.

Plan Ahead and Mise en Place

This week I took five minutes each night after the boys were in bed to pore through the Pantheon and pick out exactly everything I was going to wear the next day. I consolidated it all onto one hanger and put it in the bathroom where I would be getting dressed. I even got dressed first thing, so I didn’t have to stress out about leaving the scalawags to their own devices while I did.

This made my life so incredibly much easier.

Repair and Mend, Alter when necessary

I have been mending socks lately, because my boys are in an odd in-between shoe size phase and they have between them exactly five pairs of un-holey socks that fit. Seeing as how they love to play in the mud and change their socks at least twice a day, that ain’t gonna cut it and I refuse to buy new socks until they can comfortably fit a bigger size. Therefore, I am sewing patches cut from worn-out onesies onto their socks. They call the patches “secrets”, which I absolutely love and makes me feel like a superhero armed with needle and thread.

I did alter a skirt (the skirt seen above, come to think of it!), taking in the waist so it fits just a bit better.

Round-up

I can already see how this Challenge is going to force me to go through the garbage in my heart. I didn’t expect for this to rise to the surface so quickly, but so it goes. I also see how it will make my life easier and a quite a bit less stressful.

With the added benefit of discovering in my own closet the possibility of creating an ersatz of a look I love, I am pretty satisfied with the first week.