I love random holidays. Today is National Thread the Needle Day!
Thread the Needle Day
Can you thread a needle?
Thread the Needle Day is July 25th. Sewing and needlecraft enthusiasts can pinpoint this occasion as a prime time for plying their trades and pursuing their hobbies.
To the rest of us, Thread the Needle Day may be an occasion for walking fine lines between two polarities. Have you found yourself in a sticky spot, torn between two extremes or between the proverbial rock and a hard place? If you have, then July 25th is tailor-made for you. It’s Thread the Needle Day.
[source: Yahoo! Voices]
Along with this holiday, today’s post is totally random.
When I realized it was “Thread the Needle Day,” I naturally starting thinking about sewing. My mom taught me how to sew at a young age (I wanted to make my own Scrunchies) and that skill has come in quite handy over the years—fixing loose buttons, repairing ripped/snagged linens, etc. Then, I started thinking about other (random) skills I learned as a kid that have proved helpful in my adult years. Here are some:
- How to sew (and knit)
- How to set up a tent
- How to plant a garden
- How to quickly and easily locate all of the “middle” states in the U.S. (my 5th grade teacher taught our class a catchy jingle that I’ll never forget)
- How to do my own laundry (I taught more than one gal in my freshman year dorm at college how to do laundry. I guess not everyone learns as a kid!)
Dinner
Last night’s dinner was a “garbage salad” topped with chicken. In the mix: romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, green bell pepper, black olives, avocado, homemade croutons (from leftover sandwich crusts from our party), balsamic vinegar, and truffle oil.
Snack
A few hours later, I got hungry again, so I snacked on some strawberries and then some almonds and raisins.
Breakfast
This morning, I woke up pretty hungry, so I went a little crazy with the nut butter. It’s one of the foods I can always count on to fill me up and satisfy me for hours and hours—I swear, it sticks to my ribs.
For breakfast, I made a whole wheat wrap with peanut butter, banana, and cinnamon inside. On the side, I filled the rest of the banana with almond butter. Nut butter heaven.
Once I finished eating my wrap, I poured myself a glass of iced coffee (Red Velvet flavor from Fresh Market) with soy milk. Recently, I’ve been drinking water (and my probiotics) with breakfast and then enjoying my iced coffee after breakfast while I work.
Question of the Day
What skill(s) did you learn as a kid that have helped you in your adult years?
P.S. I’m giving away Birthday Cake Oreos on Trading Up Downtown!!
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Ah Tina are you up to hire as a personal chef?! I love that you can take such grocery staples into delicious meals I would never think of.
I think a skill I learned as a child I still find invaluable is that of learning to entertain myself. I was always a very independent kid who didn’t depend on others’ company as my sole source of happiness. So many of my friends can’t fathom doing tasks like seeing a movie alone or reading for hours in solitude, so I’m thankful that I’ve found joy in it!
How to swim & how to cook – both totally necessary & useful skills
I want starve & I won’t drown!
Ha, a friend & I totally busted out the “states” song we learned in 3rd grade while at a bar a couple of weeks ago. Sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle, it starts “Maine, New Hampshire, & Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts…” and continues in order of the states. His wife & my husband, who didn’t go to the same school, looked at us like we were completely nuts. As did the rest of the bar. But gosh darnit, I know my states!
I grew up with a single mom who made sure that I knew how to fix things just as well as any boy…I’m super handy with hammers, nails, screwdrivers, wrenches…you name it. A few months ago I even fixed the garbage disposal when my husband couldn’t.
hmmmm….crying on demand?
Typing! So glad my mom made me take that class in middle school.
Oh man. I wish I knew how to sew. My husband had to send my mom some of his pants that had a little rip!! Lol. Oh, I’m good at typing too. I saw the commenter above. Lol. That’s just from aol im!!
I was lucky, my parents taught me to cook, sew (which helped get me my first job in a fabric store when I was 16), and fix things around the house. I think the two skills though, that have helped as an adult, is punctuality and decision making. Now, I’m rarely late, and can usually just weigh the odds and make a decision about something without spending too much time and energy waffling back and forth. I’m grateful for that….
Have a great Wed. Tina!
It’s always funny to think about those skills you take for granted. I also learned how to sew, set up a tent, plant a garden (grew up on a farm, so that one was kind of expected), and do laundry as a kid (I too had to teach people in college). I also learned how to change the oil in my car and build/assemble just about anything (my dad is a carpenter). I’m so grateful for all of the skills I picked up, especially since I have a more complete tool set than my loving boyfriend.
Sewing is definitely a skill I learned as a kid that helped me later in life, that’s how I got into the fashion industry! Girl Scouts and 4-H taught me a lot of random things, how to bake bread, cross stitch, start a campfire, lots of useful life skills right there.
I’m loving the looks of that salad! I’m trying REALLY hard to think of something I learned as a kid that I still use now. I guess riding a bike = spin instruction?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/ancient-humans-vegetarians-paleolithic-diet_n_1695228.html
I hope you will read this and offer your thoughts. As an anthropologist and an archaeologist with a PhD in human evolution and human origins, my colleagues and I have often discussed how the “paleo” diet isn’t rooted in human evolutionary eating habits at all. I am glad to see the debunking of this popular myth in the mainstream media.
I learned so many things as a kid that totally come in handy now. My baby brother is 8 years younger than me. So, I was basically his second mama. I was THE babysitter for all my cousins. That helped me with my own kids. Also cooking has been a big help. I’m not afraid to mix things up in the kitchen and throw things together that I think will work. I started cooking to help my mom at a very young age. Finally, my mom talk me to crochet when I was 8. This has been a very relaxing habit for me. I also used this skill to make baby bibs, xmas stockings, a halloween costume beard for my son, and several requests from coworkers.
As someone who is from one of those “middle” states, what is this catchy jingle?
I learned how to swim, which I have now learned some of my friends did not! I think that’s crazy!
What brand of tortillas do you use? I have been trying to find some that are healthy but good tasting.
I tend to buy whatever whole wheat wrap is on sale at the grocery store and one that doesn’t have a ton of crazy ingredients in it. I also look for wraps with high fiber and a decent amount of protein in them. My favorite brands are Joseph’s and Wrap-Itz.
@Tina: Thank you so much!
How to sew on a button and how to do my own manicure/pedicure. I was like 11/12 when my mom and aunt taught me these things.
I can’t sew to safe my life. Not a button, not a hole…nothing. But my husband is excellent at it! His mama taught him well! ha! Mine? Well she tried.
I think my lifting abilities have come in handy over my lifetime, but I guess that isn’t something I was taught… cooking has definitely come in handy, especially now as a newlywed
I do not knwo how many times I have had to teach my friends how to set up a tent! and I seem to be the only one of my friends that knows how to crochet!!
The best skill that I learned was cooking. My mom is an amazing cook and my grandmother was, too. They taught me so much, which has helped me to be confident in the kitchen. I love creating recipes and experimenting with new dishes. Cooking is a way for me to unwind!
That pb wrap looks delicious! I’m definitely glad I learned sewing from my mom in highschool so when a button falls off I can fix it quickly!
Probably the skills I learned as a kid that have come in most handy are:
-doing laundry (started doing my own when I was 10 or so)
)
-cooking & baking
-filling my car with gas (started doing it for my mom when I was probably 8
-how to use a sewing machine.
Yup, I’m one of those people who didn’t learn to do laundry until she left for college. I had my mom teach me before I left, but still ended up needing to call her for help when I did my first batch because I basically forgot what she told me. I even texted her a photo of my colored clothes laid out on my bed so I could make sure that I wasn’t putting anything into the colored wash that shouldn’t go in (and could get ruined), haha..
Red velvet cake coffee? YUM that sounds like heaven. I had marylou’s peanut butter wonderful for the first time the other day in your honor
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