Reflections on Me-Made-May, The Simpson's Hiatus, and a June Resolution-of-the-Month

I realized I never did a "Reflections on..." about my April challenge about not watching The Simpson's.  Now it is already the 4th of June and I haven't written anything about Me-Made-May either.  How did that happen?!

So, before I recap Me-Made-May I will offer a few words about the April resolution-of-the-month.  The main takeaway for me from this challenge was that it was easy.  So easy.  I didn't even think about it.  I just don't watch TV much any more.  I used to.  There were time in my life I would describe myself as a TV junkie.  I turned it on in the morning while I got ready for classes and work.  I turned it on in the evening to go to sleep by.  I turned it on mid-day to listen to while I cleaned house or worked on homework.  It was always on.  That is most certainly not the case now for which I am pleased.  I didn't miss The Simpson's because it is not part of my normal day any more.

There are so many experiences I'd rather have than watching TV.  Matt and I read a lot.  We garden.  We walk.  We play with Ginger.  We visit friends.  We have dinner parties.  We tie-dye, sew, bake, camp, bird watch, play games.  We do so many things I don't know how we'd find the time to watch more TV.  And I am okay with that.

I love the rich variety of activities that fill my days.  That said, I was happy to watch a few episodes with my Simpson-loving-soul-sister Alli when she was here last month.  I still absolutely adore the humor and wit of the show.  I may not watch much TV, but when I do it will likely always be nature documentaries and Simpson re-runs.  And I am okay with that, too.  

As for Me-Made-May the main take away was that it was awesome.  Totally awesome.  By challenging myself to wear homemade garments (though not necessarily made in my home) each day I came to discover how many I actually own these days.  They're all so unique and special to me.  My own homemades multiply each year and I am so proud of them.  As such it was a pretty easy challenge, too.  And very interesting.

I've realized through the experiment that I need to sew more in knit fabrics.  There were days, mostly weekends, that I just wanted something super comfy and stretchy to wear, but my homemade clothing line was clearly lacking in this regard.  I should try to remedy this.  That was a good thing to learn.

The only time that Me-Made-May really proved tricky was when I was planning our trip to Yellowstone over my birthday.  I wanted clothes that were warm, comfortable, and with the ability to layer for the variable weather conditions.  I needed a good skirt length for hiking and my main hiking skirt is a commercially made number I got at a clothes swap.  Many of the dresses I've made I still consider "work" wear, as in I try not to wear it when there is a good chance I will get sap and/or embers from the crackling fire on it.  So, it took a little more planning that normal.  I also had to ultimately decide that tie-dyed t-shirts counted as Me-Mades.  The shirts are, to be sure, commercially produced, but since we so drastically alter them I figured I would count it.  That was written into my MMM pledge, after all.  Maybe for next year I can have more exacting standards.

Me-Made-May was so far my most favorite resolution-of-the-month.  It was a challenge, but a totally fun, not at all "sacrificing" type resolution centered around something I adore--homemade clothes.

As for the resolution-of-the-month for June?  There is none.  Matt and I are getting married in 17 days.  That will be plenty enough to focus on this month.  Also, if I disappear from here for days at a time in the upcoming weeks you will now know why.