Sunday, October 15, 2006

Super Saturday Sufferings

It's that time of year again that Jamie dreads. That time when I have a brain aneurysm and somehow forget over a 48-hour period that I cannot do crafts. That I have never been able to do crafts and I never will be able to do crafts.

Yes, it's Super Saturday Season, folks. For those unaware, Super Saturday occurs once a year for those crazy Mormons who actually relish in this stuff. Those same people I should just stick to paying to do it for me.

I get pressured into it every year and out of guilt, I go. I vowed after last year's nightmare wherein it took weeks for me to recover that I would boycott it all together. And it was easy because our ward's leader is about as lacking in domesticity as yours truly and had "crafts" such as "101 Things to Do with Wheat" and "How to Make a Pinewood Derby Car." This is no lie.

My plan was going well until, unfortunately, other people started boycotting and they decided to combine with some other wards and hold a two-day extravaganza. Other wards that had the most cute and affordable crafts that would make darling Christmas gifts. And so I signed up for pretty much everything I could get my hot little signup pen on. Again, a result of the brain aneurysm, folks.

When I arrived on Friday at 6 p.m., I meant business. I had five sets of four different crafts to crank out in a matter of hours. I set up shop and just dared anyone to even try to converse with me. I sat next to a chirpy, sweet girl who is soooooo unbelievably happy all the time. Especially when doing crafts.

I blocked her out and stayed focused. Unfortunately after a couple of hours I realized how astronomical it was for me to try to crank out 20 complicated crafts in one evening. Then panic set in. Mishap after mishap then occurred when my resolve became shattered and at 11 p.m., I was the last one there and still unfinished. They sent me home with one completed set of each and I need to do the rest on my own.

But it doesn't end there. I still had to do the other gazillion things for which I signed up. And so I dragged myself back to the den of iniquity on Saturday, my normal day of play. But this time with The Hurricane and The Slug because Mr. Promotion now works weekends. It just kept getting better and better.

But the real kicker came at the end. When I was FINALLY done I went to settle the account for my cute and affordable gifts and came to realize they weren't quite as cute (my fault) and affordable (theirs) as anticipated. Call me crazy but when I registered for $6.50 a set, I assumed by the syntax of the wording that a set meant more than one. Nope. I guess in their Domestic Diva Dictionary, a set means just one item, which meant my tab did not come out to the $40 I had roughly calculated but rather, almost $200.

Moody and spewing, I stormed home and fumed to Jamie about my harrowing descent into domesticity. And made the avowal that never again will I submit myself to the anguish and torment of Super Saturday.

Unless they do something really cute again next year.

24 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha ha! We had our Super Saturday yesterday too. I spent pretty much the whole four hours sewing superhero capes (because I don't know how to sew). The rest of my time was spent helping my friend try to finish the billion (or 12) crafts that she signed up for!!! Maybe next time you should recruit an assistant also...look for that one soul who only signs up for one craft!!!

Shawn C said...

Crafts? Used to love em....still do...just no time. I'm no martha Stewart either, but it's the effort that counts! Great job!

Janet a.k.a. "Wonder Mom" said...

Well at least you can admit to your shortcomings!!! hee hee...see you next super saturday!

Julia said...

Holy crap! 200 bucks for crafts! Yeah I don't like crafts that much! Our ward doesn't do Super Saturdays...so I don't know what that's like but for me even scrapbooking is a challenge...it takes me an hour to do one lousy page and then I'm still not satisfied with it because it doesn't look as nice as everyone else's!!!!

Anonymous said...

I was pretty reasonable with my sign ups but then I had to miss mine because of Evan's unexpected hospital stay. I am actually pretty crafty but not insanely so. I love making my crafts different, I never copy the demo craft. One year at girl's camp I made a doll and didn't put any hair on her. All the leaders went nuts because I was not doing the craft correctly.

for what it's worth said...

Guess what yesterday was here???
I avoided it at all costs. I just can not sit there with all the perkiness and show my domestic inadequacies. I am not really the crafty kind.
I hope you recover...in time for next year's S.S.

Heather said...

Pictures! We need pictures! $200 worth of crafts seem worth showing off. :-)

Other than the odd sewing or decorating project, I haven't done crafts (at least not adult versions) since my kids started showing up. No time or energy or even desire.

Thoroughly Mormon Millie said...

Man, I go for the food. I don't care what the food is, I just go and eat.

Sometimes I take my cross stitch with me - that's something I KNOW I can do - and other times I just go with No Cool Story and we make fun of everyone else. I mean, compliment them on their overwhelming craftitude.

FTMo2 said...

Ha - at least you TRY to do this stuff. I just spend money collecting the 'stuff' and then let is sit around!!!

FTMo2

Janet said...

I truly empathize with you. I too sucketh at the crafts as well! I can't even sew buttons. My mom does all my mending for me. My daughter, Samanatha, is taking a "Fashion Design" class at school - so maybe I can start bribing her!!

Arlyn said...

Maybe we could trade places. The STK Pres. put a BAN on S.S.'s here. I've been denied for more than two years now! I go partly for the crafts, but mostly for the company.

Jodi Jean said...

wow, our super saturday is coming up soon, and i have yet to sign up for anything, everything looks lame (and considering i taught a craft in my moms ward last month -- why go when nothing was as cool as that?) hmmm... or should i just go to socialize. decisions decisions.

Allie said...

I admire the fact that you at least went out and gave it a shot ... again.

Me? I have come to the hopeless realization that craftiness will never make it to my list of talents so I therefore adopted a new train of thought: be the eager beaver at the craft markets buying everything in sight.

And ... for the price you paid for each of your crafts, you might want to save yourself the headache and do the same for next year. :)

Still though, as I said earlier - I give you total credit for giving it a shot.

Anonymous said...

We need to see some pictures woman!!

I have so many unfinished crafts in my garage - working at Michael's craft store did not help my addiction and now they're just sitting and collecting dust :(

Mommy off the Record said...

Dude, usually when I click on the "xx people think I'm crazy" link to comment, I don't REALLY think you're crazy. But this time, I hate to say it, I have to admit I think you're a little crazy. Cuz TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS???? FOR CRAFTS??? (I'm sorry, I know it was a surprise to you too. My sympathies.)

jess said...

Wrong. That is wrong. When they say $6.50 per set, that should mean $6.50 per set. And you should pay before, so you don't have unexpected surprises at the end. The cuteness or not cuteness of the things are sadly, your own responsibility.

Having been the one in charge of those darn super Saturdays before, I feel your pain. Sadly, or luckily, as it may be, our ward here doesn't really get into that crafy thing, so we're kind of off the hook.

Lala's world said...

hahaha man I always learn the hard way too... I went to fabricland and bought material to make purses with and decided to NOT buy the pattern...just going to wing it...um yah so we will see how smart that was!!

and oh my gosh....$200 I would have been spewing too!!

Anonymous said...

Are you serious? $200?!!!! At Super Saturday? On crafts! Wowza!

Jenn said...

Oh my gosh! We always pay before hand. $40 I could have done, but $200 and it would have been to the bishop's store house for the rest of the month.

utmommy said...

A set means a set. I would've thought the same exact thing as you. I would've freaked at a $200 Super Saturday tab. I'd love to see pictures though :)

abc momma said...

I would have disassembled my crafts and left them in a heap by their cash box if they had told me to pay $200 for their arts and craps.

Ours is called Souper Saturday, and I go for the soup. However, that Family Home Evening assignment plaque looks tempting this year.

Leucantha` said...

I've never heard of this Super Saturday Crafting Extravaganza thing. Sounds fun, maybe? I like crafts and it is an evil addiction. I think my husband would like to distrubute my pic at Hobby Lobby with a note to not let me in. ; )

Leucantha` said...

I've never heard of this Super Saturday Crafting Extravaganza thing. Sounds fun, maybe? I like crafts and it is an evil addiction. I think my husband would like to distrubute my pic at Hobby Lobby with a note to not let me in. ; )

wendy said...

In a fit of rebellion I did not sign up for a single craft this year. It is too late to change my mind, now (though craft day is still 2 weeks away - did they really need THAT much time to make their purchases?) And I have felt very little guilt. Okay, maybe a teeny bit, but not much. I make take my knitting and go visit, but I'm not sure.