Emily and her purple purse.
You probably didn’t know this, but
Getting this toy prompted Emily to dig out a little stuffed doll she had of Lilly, the mouse in the story Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. The problem with this is that she’d shown zero interest in this doll for quite some time, and the purse was gone. Of all the various tasks of parenting, number one on the hate parade is searching for small plastic pieces of junk toys. It causes my blood pressure to rise within seconds. Of course I don’t display this to my child, but you have to imagine cartoon steam coming out of my ears. We looked for a while, then I asked if I could just make her one.
I had some purple fabric which Emily approved, so I fired up the sewing machine and knocked one out. I couldn’t remember the trick for turning a tube of fabric inside out, and my clumsy attempts with a crochet hook to snag the end and pull it through didn’t work, so the seam on the strap shows. I gave it to Emily, who glanced at it, then without looking, set it at the edge of a table where it fell to the ground. She was busy doing something else. Le sigh. I asked if it was too big, and Emily said no, so I went off and took a shower.
When I got out, Emily had taken the time to look at the purse more closely. She said that yes, it was too big, as I suspected. I got her to show me where she wanted it to fall on Lilly, then remade it. I was glad I hadn’t expended any extra effort to make that strap look nice. (Illiane, I need to get you to show me the strap-turny trick.) Emily said this purse was good. Then she put the doll aside and hasn’t picked it up since.
So this is my day. Making little fabric purses for a stuffed mouse at the request of a cute little ingrate. (Note: when she didn’t offer, I did prompt her to thank me for each purse.)
Welcome to parenthood. Duration: LIFE.
You crack me up. “Making little fabric purses for a stuffed mouse at the request of a cute little ingrate.” Yup, parenthood. That sounds about right 😀
It was my pleasure although I did kinda cause the whole sewing-for-a-rodent fiasco.. sorry!
You crack me up. “Making little fabric purses for a stuffed mouse at the request of a cute little ingrate.” Yup, parenthood. That sounds about right 😀
It was my pleasure although I did kinda cause the whole sewing-for-a-rodent fiasco.. sorry!
Yes. Yes, that did occur to me.
I blame you.
Yes. Yes, that did occur to me.
I blame you.
Aw, maaaaan! 🙂
Aw, maaaaan! 🙂
Huh…so that is probably what my mom was thinking all those years ago when I whined I couldn’t find *Insert Barbie or My Little Pony thing here* and demanded that I had to have it now! or all would be lost.
Huh…so that is probably what my mom was thinking all those years ago when I whined I couldn’t find *Insert Barbie or My Little Pony thing here* and demanded that I had to have it now! or all would be lost.
Welcome to parenthood. Duration: LIFE.
Word has it the really hard stuff ends after about 18-25 years. 😉
Welcome to parenthood. Duration: LIFE.
Word has it the really hard stuff ends after about 18-25 years. 😉
True – but it was fun, wasn’t it? For the life of me, I can’t figure out the compulsion moms seem to share about keeping the pieces of a toy set together. I once spent a whole day obsessing about one missing figure from the Fisher-Price station wagon family. And I once made my husband drive all the back to the beach to retrieve a hand sewn doll overall he had carelessly left behind. His “Jeez, what’s the big deal?” almost made me commit murder!
True – but it was fun, wasn’t it? For the life of me, I can’t figure out the compulsion moms seem to share about keeping the pieces of a toy set together. I once spent a whole day obsessing about one missing figure from the Fisher-Price station wagon family. And I once made my husband drive all the back to the beach to retrieve a hand sewn doll overall he had carelessly left behind. His “Jeez, what’s the big deal?” almost made me commit murder!
I would have made him drive back to get a hand-sewn doll, too, or else called the staff to hold it and mail it at my expense.
I could care less if all the pieces are missing. It’s my daughter who has to have everything together. So when I have to look for the tiny plastic pieces, it’s because her whole day is going to fall apart if we can’t find it. This is less true than it used to be, but it’s still unpredictable as to when it will happen.
It was satisfying seeing the completed purse, but it would have been more enjoyable if I’d had more than four or five hours sleep. Of course, that’s my own fault! 🙂
I would have made him drive back to get a hand-sewn doll, too, or else called the staff to hold it and mail it at my expense.
I could care less if all the pieces are missing. It’s my daughter who has to have everything together. So when I have to look for the tiny plastic pieces, it’s because her whole day is going to fall apart if we can’t find it. This is less true than it used to be, but it’s still unpredictable as to when it will happen.
It was satisfying seeing the completed purse, but it would have been more enjoyable if I’d had more than four or five hours sleep. Of course, that’s my own fault! 🙂
So I hear, much to my delight! Of course, nobody can tell me that my parents don’t still worry about me. The manual labor may stop at some point, but the mental work will probably still remain.
So I hear, much to my delight! Of course, nobody can tell me that my parents don’t still worry about me. The manual labor may stop at some point, but the mental work will probably still remain.
Heh. You know what else she was thinking? “Someday, you’ll be doing this for a little child. Mwahahahahaaaa…”
Heh. You know what else she was thinking? “Someday, you’ll be doing this for a little child. Mwahahahahaaaa…”
I used to worry that I was a little nuts about keeping things intact until I read an article in Parents Magazine alleging that this trait is common in parents. The item left on the beach was actually a Raggedy Ann garment painstakingly made by me (as I am not a sewer…….sew-er) and it had been covered up by water and seaweed but, by gum, he found it! It was that, or a series of extremely abject apologies by him and probably a little weeping by me. Anyway, there’s a difference, I think, between things we do spontaneously to please our children, and the things some parents do to placate their children. I think the purple purse, lovingly made (twice) fits in the first category. And it’s quite cute on the mouse’s shoulder! Now you just have to make teeny weeny little lunch objects from Fimo to put in the teeny weey bag………… Those would be SO easy to lose.
I used to worry that I was a little nuts about keeping things intact until I read an article in Parents Magazine alleging that this trait is common in parents. The item left on the beach was actually a Raggedy Ann garment painstakingly made by me (as I am not a sewer…….sew-er) and it had been covered up by water and seaweed but, by gum, he found it! It was that, or a series of extremely abject apologies by him and probably a little weeping by me. Anyway, there’s a difference, I think, between things we do spontaneously to please our children, and the things some parents do to placate their children. I think the purple purse, lovingly made (twice) fits in the first category. And it’s quite cute on the mouse’s shoulder! Now you just have to make teeny weeny little lunch objects from Fimo to put in the teeny weey bag………… Those would be SO easy to lose.
Heh. You are not nuts for wanting that garment back! Good for him for finding it. He went from louse to hero, just like that!
Ix-nay on the imo-Fay. She asked me what she could put in her purse, it’s just a short leap from there to “what can I put in Lilly’s purse?”
Of course, I actually do have Fimo, because I’m insane with the crafting.
Heh. You are not nuts for wanting that garment back! Good for him for finding it. He went from louse to hero, just like that!
Ix-nay on the imo-Fay. She asked me what she could put in her purse, it’s just a short leap from there to “what can I put in Lilly’s purse?”
Of course, I actually do have Fimo, because I’m insane with the crafting.