Archive for June, 2009

As I’ve mentioned before, the summer kickball season is upon us. With that said, I’ve been trying to come up with a way to transform my kickball t-shirt into a somewhat cooler article of clothing. Let’s face it, a darkly colored cotton t-shirt isn’t the most comfortable thing to wear compared to, let’s say, a nice tank top?

I would wear one of my nice gym tank tops that has Dri-Fit technology (the fabric keeps you dry), but alas, kickball rules state that all team members must wear their assigned WAKA t-shirts with the logo intact. Other than the logo, you can do with the t-shirt as you please. However, I don’t want to just cut off the arms. That looks a little too…uncreative. Plus, it makes for silly looking tan lines. I clearly don’t care all that much about tan lines, since I have a very noticeable set currently on my back. But let’s at least make them interesting! No farmer’s tans for this girl please! (Yes, I was pleasantly surprised that Wikipedia had an entry for “farmer’s tans”. Though a little sad for the man in the picture…)

So after some online research, I found this nice little website. Which then led me to the creator/author’s wonderfully crafty blog/website. Not that I want clothing design to be one of my hobbies, but I was very intrigued by the Generation T books and ideas. With all these lovely crafty ideas in my head, I sat down with a pile of old t-shirts and started snipping. Here’s what I’ve come up with…

Option #1: Tested on my 2009 spring season’s WAKA Kickball t-shirt, which incidentally I got bleach on while scrubbing the shower. So, the redesign happened to cut off the bleach stain! Point for newly designed workout t-shirt!

I followed the instructions exactly (there's a very bad pun that could have been made, but I refrained. You're very welcome). However, the armpits still turned out a little wacky.

I had problems with keeping this design even on both sides, as I'm sure you can tell. It seems my scissor skills are still quite lacking, despite my kindergarten teacher's best efforts.

Angela’s pros: I’m pleased with the overall shape of this design. Plus, I like that it shows off the shoulders and part of the back. Oh! And it hides my aforementioned dark tan lines very well. But…this will also make said tan lines even darker, perhaps not a good thing. It also keeps most of the front and back designs intact.

Angela’s cons: I dislike that it’s so hard for me to keep things symmetrical on both sides. (Yes, I used a ruler and sewing chalk!) Also, I’m not entirely sure what to do about the baggy armpits! The pattern specifically says to cut the arms off on the inside of the seam. This makes for a rather large hole! I suppose both problems can be solved with a little more care and attention. However, this is a kickball t-shirt redesign, not a prom dress fiasco. I simply don’t care that much to take more than an afternoon on this project.

Option #2: Featured on my Race for the Cure 2009 t-shirt.

I have no idea why I'm making such a funny face. I'm not very good at posing...

And here are the tan lines I suffered from one measly hour of gardening in which I forgot to put on sunscreen. No, I didn't burn...I got these permanent reminders instead.

Angela’s pros: Actually, I really like this option. I love that I can use ribbon for the neck piece, I like that symmetry isn’t as much of an issue, and I don’t have to fuss with this design as much as the other.

Angela’s cons: Half of the back has to be cut off, which I’m checking with the league coordinator whether or not that’s okay with the rules. Sports bra is kind of an issue, and I have yet to come accross a strapless sports bra (which would probably be quite worthless, to tell you the truth). But in the end, let’s face it, I’m not exactly a full contact kickball player. I think a well made, fully supportive strapless will do the trick. (Sorry if there are boys reading this, but it was a legitimate concern!)

Option #3: Modeled on my 2001 BVNW High School Senior T-shirt

I am not wearing any makeup for this particular photo shoot, as I'm about to hit the gym. Sorry for the hideousness!

Since Andy's out on a date with his buddy Rick, I had to use the self-timer mode on my camera to get this shot. Not the best picture, but you get the idea. And side note: I can't wait until my hair is long enough for an actual all inclusive ponytail!

Angela’s Pros: The ties on the top of the sleeves help adjust the width of the arms, therefore solving the gaping armhole problem.

Angela’s Cons: I’m just not impressed with this design at all. There’s nothing special about it, and it doesn’t really flatter anything. It’s not necesssarily bad, just not a wow either.

There we go, all three options displayed for your viewing pleasure. While I wait for an answer from the kickball league telling me whether or not I can hack apart my shirt, let me know which option you prefer! I think I know which one I like…but I’m interested to see what y’all think!

A few things that have been on my mind as of late…

1. I absolutely HATE june bug season! These creepy crawly little pests always come in swarms every summer, and I always forget what a nuisance they are! Everywhere I turn and in every corner is one of these yucky little beetles. Even with the doors closed and windows shut, they manage to find a way in. At night, I can hear their stupid little thunks against the window as they desperately try to find a way into my home. Yuck! This means Andy, with his trusty pet companions in tow, has been on 24 hour pest patrol. Poor fellow, but this was one of my conditions for marriage, bug removal, to which he readily agreed.

2. On a happier note, we recently bought a new lawn mower!! While this may not seem like a terribly exciting purchase, the cool part is that it’s an electric mower! We’re attempting to help the environment with lower emissions AND it’s so much quieter. The electric mower is just barely louder than a vacuum cleaner. And according to the EPA, one hour of mowing with a gas lawn mower produces as much VOC (volatile organic compounds) as driving 350 miles in a car. Which incidentally, VOC’s are what I studied as an intern at P&G. Oh plus, it’s pretty and shiny!

Andy and General E. Clipperton the First setting out on their first lawn mowing expedition of many to come. Okay I totally just made up a name for a lawn mower, but really, is anyone surprised?

3. With the weather continuing to be upwards of 100 degrees, I’m trying my best to stay indoors. However, the Texas heat isn’t really something I can ignore. Thankfully, during the day I am either at work or hiding in my house. The exception being the summer kickball season that started last week. I’m doing my best to prepare for the said kickball games, bringing lots of cold water, cold washcloths, sunscreen…etc. I still think perhaps I was delusional when I signed up to play this season. We tied last week’s game at 2-2. It’s not great, but a far better start than last season, therefore I’ll try to keep from complaining too much. However, I’m still happiest indoors with the air conditioning!

One last hoorah for Brittany's birthday week!

Since I’ve become so bad at updating (which I’m striving to get back up to speed), I thought perhaps I would go ahead and post a joint update.

First off, Happy Father’s Day!!  I hope you’re treating your dad with the best care and attention all year round…but in case you’ve neglected your duties, make this Father’s Day a special one! Sadly, my dad just left the country. But we love him no matter where ever he may be!

Second part of the post, wishing my parents a very Happy 31st Anniversary! With relationships/marriages crumbling all around us (wow, that sounded a lot more depressing than I had intended), it’s nice to know that two people can stay together despite the odds. Yay for my parents!

Mom and Dad at their 30th Anniversary celebration last year. Look! They even match, how...odd.

No, I’m not neglecting my blog. I’ve just had to work harder to carve out time in my schedule in order to post any thoughts or summaries. Well, it seems summer has officially come to Texas. With the said season comes tremendous amounts of sunshine, humidity, and the kind of heat that makes you feel like you’re about to pass out whenever you’re outside. How do the Texans deal with this unbearable weather for three months straight? Air conditioning is a definite God send! Our friends/neighbors are getting solar screens for their house, which we may also have to look into in the near future. Plus, we typically try not to venture out of the house until sunset.

With that last point in mind, we have become night owls in the last couple of weeks. We were already night people before, but have now grown accustomed to making any and all potential appointments for the evening if possible. Last week, we celebrated both our friends’ Amber and Brittany’s birthdays (at night, mind you).

We're wishing Amber a Happy Birthday from Fat Daddy's patio!

And wishing Brittany a Happy Birthday too as we danced the night away!

We had a lot of fun and I’m so glad everyone was able to celebrate together! But between work, the gym, and struggling to get enough sleep, I’ve started to really appreciate a little leisure time at home.

Attila simply HAD to lay in the pile of feather boas!

With that said, I’m off to my kickboxing class at the gym. It’s definitely not something I look forward to, but it’s nice to know that I’m doing something active…in a place that’s air conditioned!