What a Kick in the Pants

So give up on me yet?

2011-05-01T18:36:00.001-07:00

Given up looking for anything new? I wouldn't blame you if you have, cause I would except I have to come here to check out your blogs.

What are my excuses?

Work has kept me so busy that the thought of sitting at a computer after work is just not happening.

The camera I've been using refused to take pictures. It kept turning off 2 seconds after I would turn it on. Why it's working now ... beats me!

I'm boring?

I spend so much time reading books & completing projects that..... wait I think I've used this one before.

hmmm anyway here's a knitting project that took me a month but was so worth it.

It's a fun little cardigan sweater with POCKETS!!! Aren't they so cute! I took a class to de-stress from work and so loved it. Call me what ever you want but honestly sitting around chatting with a bunch of knitters after a long day of analytical thinking was sooooo great!

Also one Saturday morning at 3a.m. I figured since I couldn't sleep I would sew up a fun little project. Hey's there another reason - my sleep patterns have been so wonky that I've been unable to blog.

Here's the project. It's a simple drawstring bag that I made to carry my lunch to work everyday. It's kind of cutesy but does the job real good and beats the plastic grocery bag hands down. Also it makes me smile to look at it. The drawstrings are shoelaces! I'm so pleased with my inventiveness.

So there you have it. And for all those who had begun to wonder, yes I was swallowed by a black hole of workaholicsim but thankfully between the yarn & the fabric am slowly pulling myself out. Here's hoping it doesn't take me another 2-3 months to post anything. ... of course that dumb camera died after my second picture ... grrrr

Money!!!!!

2011-02-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

Wait ... (sigh) now it's gone. Amazing isn't it. You're so excited to see the paycheck in your account, and it's more then planned. Then 10 minutes later, after running the numbers through the ol'budget, you now have NOTHING!!!!!!

What is a girl to do? Be VERY THANKFUL! Cause the bills got paid and the "loans" she had to take out to cover her during the whole unemployed business got repaid. Which means she can hold her head up again.

Oh, and for those who hadn't heard ... yep it's back to the salt mines for me.

Mums the word

2011-01-13T07:36:00.000-08:00

At least that's how I feel January tends to turn out for me. I usually take the whole month to figure out any goals I want to work on for the year. There's a growing list of books I've been considering reading. There's projects I think about but just don' t get started on. I wonder and ponder and just try to figure out what the year is going to be like and what I want to accomplish. These days I feel rather closed mouth, not that I'm keeping any big secrets, just not ready to commit to a course just yet......

Any of you ever feel that way?

By the way, the camera's broke which also explains the lack of posts for the last month or so.

Done!!!!

2010-11-17T07:27:00.001-08:00

Been done for a few days. Saturday in fact was the day I finished up Christmas presents. That has never happened before, ever. It's not all the presents I need to make but it was the major ones for this year. I lay in bed Saturday night thinking of this feat and wondering, "Now What?"

Little did I know (or want) the answer to that question to be ... a cold!!! Yep, first thing Sunday Morning, hitting like a ton of bricks. Grrrrr, today it's reached the coughing fit stage. I HATE that stage. The irony is between coughing fits, I feel perfectly fine and ready to get off that stupid couch.

Oh well, it is the season ;) Hope you are all more well then me.

What's been happing this way

2010-10-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

I so want to post.

I want to tell about the project I'm working on. I want to show you pictures. I want to talk and talk and talk ... but it's a Christmas present and has to be kept a SECRET. It's so hard. I'm terrible at keeping secrets. Evidenced by the number of people who DO know about it. [And if you're one of the ones who do; DO NOT forget YOU KNOW NOTHING! ]

I want to tell you all about the grain research I've been doing but ......

Ya that's what happens. I just can't seem to find the ....

whatever

I want to show pictures of my latest successes in the kitchen but the camera's got low batteries. I just changed them but still it says "low battery" and then "goodbye"; which is then followed by teeth grinding and incoherent mumbling. Even if I were to go searching for replacement batteries there are SOME people in this house that like to eat their dinner while it's hot. Go figure! You should have seen the look I got when I calmly said "Hold IT, until after I find batteries, I need a picture. (the spoon was in mid air at time of request ;)

Instead, all you get is this. Oh well, Happy Fall

Camping

2010-10-19T07:27:00.001-07:00

I went camping with my mom and brother and his family last week. It was so awesome. I love it. Sorry there's no pictures cause ... I didn't think to bring a camera. We put up one section of a huge o'army tent. (20ft X 8 ft) The kids were so much help with that monster. We only stayed for one night. Of course it was cold, but that was expected. I kept pretty warm, just couldn't sleep cause the egg carton padding was worthless. Boy was the ground hard! At breakfast, I couldn't help wondering why eggs, hashbrowns & sausage cooked on a griddle, eaten with dirt encrusted fingernails in freezing fall weather was SO STINKING GOOD! Must be the magic of camping in the great out doors.

About 2 Weeks ....

2010-10-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

I was asked recently how long it would take me to make an afghan.

Well ... remember this?

This is what's left.

Where did it all go?

Colorful isn't it?

The Feel of Autumn

2010-09-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

The mornings and evenings are chillier; the leaves are starting to change colors, a few are even falling; and Me? Well, Autumn weather moves me to start thinking about creating afghans; that way the blanket gets longer (and warmer) as it gets colder. Here are a couple I've made for myself.

Lighthouse - ordered online as a kit

9 Patch Scrappy

This was done in an effort to use up all the yarn scraps I've collected. This was fun, although on the short side. It doesn't quite cover from toes to shoulders. I do love it for it's using up odds and ends of yarn. I don't like having left over scraps of anything after a project but that's impossible to avoid. So these kind of projects really make me happy.

Side track: I remember a baby afghan I made this way. It had a picture of Piglet with a white background (same type as my lighthouse above). I was determined to only use the yarn I already had. I did pretty good until the last ten inches or so when I ran out of white yarn. All I had left was some off-white. My sister and mother who had been watching the progress of this blanket couldn't stand to see me use the off-white, so they ran and bought me a skein of white. ;) I laugh because there were threats used to get past my stupid stubborn streak. It was a good thing because the blanket looks so more complete with the same color background.

Anyway, this year hasn't been any different. I was itching to pull out my yarn stash with the first wet cold day. I had to restrain myself for two weeks cause of three sewing projects that were already spread out over the family room. (You can't play with the yarn until you've cleaned up this fabric mess ;) The sewing got done over the weekend; everything got put away yesterday morning; and last night I pulled out my boxes of yarn "orphans".

I have had an afghan pattern in mind for a month or so but with all the yarn spread out I couldn't decide what to do without also looking through all my crochet patterns.

This is where it started getting dicy. With the yarn spread out all over the floor, according to color. I found half a dozen projects that would be so much fun; baby stuff, Christmas decorations, as well as afghans. So......

My Chosen Pattern

The original afghan pattern I had already chosen.

It's the "Crochet Folk Quilt Throw" from the Redheart website. It has 6 different colors which I thought would be a perfect use of my "orphan" yarn.

Oh, yes! it's going to be a "make something with what you already have" project.

The Chosen ColorsI didn't have enough of one color to meet the pattern requirements but I did have enough color groups. So I have a couple of greens, purples, a white & tan, and 3 or 4 shades of pink. Total amount of yarn equals total needed for afghan.

Here's a Sneak Peak

Oh, ... I like it, I like it!

Here's to you Autumn!

Think about it

2010-08-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

"Trials and tribulations tend to squeeze the artificiality out of us,

leaving the essence of what we really are

and clarifying what we really yearn for."

(Maxwell, Neal A. Things As They Really Are, pg.89)

3 in 1

2010-07-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

Rather then writing three separate posts I decided to just combine them.

A few weeks ago I went to the library and brought home 4 different sewing books. Among them was one that I have to buy for myself. It's "Weekend Sewing" by Heather Ross. It's so full of great sewing projects. I spent the first few days tracing patterns. I would get one traced and go to cut it out of fabric when another awesome project would jump out at me and distract me. So before anything was ever cut out of fabric I had 4-5 different patterns traced. Now it's crunch time cause the book is due back to the library soon. (It's already been renewed once;)

In spite of all the inspiration distractions I have successfully finished two projects from the book.

Heather Ross' Town Bag (I just love how the top scrunches down)

The Fabric was a home dec sample an interior design roommate gave to me years ago. Those samples make great bags, I believe I've have at least two other bags made from them. I didn't like the length of the strap so I ended up doubling it and am now very pleased with the results. This may also be my first bag that made me really think of hardware. I had chosen silver clasps and d-rings. While I was matching thread to the fabric, I happened to place the fabric right next to the hardware. The fabric just screamed for "gold" hardware and boy does it look awesome. Considering how much time I spend matching lining and bag fabric, I wonder why I didn't think the same rules apply to hardware.

An outfit for a little Miss

(who is expected to arrive very soon)

So much fun. This is only the second outfit I have ever made for a child. I believe I have caught a bug, probably a good thing considering the number of little ones coming this year.

A closeup of the top

This pattern is from "Weekend Sewing" and I really love it. There is certainly more in the future. Hopefully the Little Miss doesn't mind having her aunt having a blouse from the same fabric. I had originally planned a nice summer blouse for this fabric. I wanted to make this Kimono newborn shirt so much that I used scraps and actually finished it before the blouse. (Told you I get easily distracted)

A closeup of the Bottom

Which was made from a Butterick pattern. The top felt so incomplete that I went searching for a pant pattern to complete the outfit. This was an easy sew being completed in a couple of hours.

Now I just need to mail it and impatiently wait to see if it actually fits, if the fabric is soft enough or not, whether the pants will be too large, or the shirt too small.... Although my second outfit, it's the first to be worn. Really my only experience in dressing a baby is as an Aunt, so I just used what the parents had already picked out. I'm sooo nervous ;)

A Riddle

2010-07-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ever hear of the riddle about a farmer that had to cross a body of water with a chicken, fox and a bag of feed. And he can only take one at a time across. Well, just the other day I came across a similar experience:

A lone driver has to get two cars from apartment #1 over to apartment #2 which is located 3 miles away. It's 95 degrees out and there is only one driver to do this. How do you do it?

Well all I could come up with was the only driver gets into car #1 and drives it a block, parks and walks back to car#2 where she then drives it two blocks, parks and walks back to car#1. Leapfrogging the two cars every block or so, the lone driver finally arrives at Apartment#2.

So what do you think?

Thankfully, the driver had a sister and brother-in-law come to the rescue where they drove one car and she drove the other so technically the driver never had to prove whether this was the right answer to the riddle.

Book Challenge update

2010-06-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

It looks like May was the "linking book" reading Challenge. The last book linked to was "The Vicar of Wakefield". That book led me to reading Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility. It's been awhile but I enjoyed the reread. I chose it cause characters in "The Vicar" reminded me of Marianne and her romantic "sensibilities".

So that ends my linking books for now. I'll keep reading but probably won't be able to do as much cause the summer just got crazy for me, at least June is that way.

I don't have as much access to a computer so I probably won't be posting as much either. I'll try to keep the reading list updated but that's about all I can promise. Hope you all have a fun summer.

Linking Books

2010-05-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

2010 Summer Reading
"Linking Books"

This reading challenge has kind of developed on it's own, and is loosely associated with a "game" my sisters and I played with choosing what movie to watch one night. (A little like the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but having nothing to do with Kevin Bacon). While watching the one we finally picked we recognized a secondary actor who played in another movie we had. So from then on we tried to see if we could find a link between our movies. We did pretty good, I'm not sure how far we got, but it was interesting while it lasted. I'll have to check with my sisters to see if we made it to 6 movies or not.

As is often the case, it was the 2nd & third book that showed me I had a good start to my "Six Degrees of Links" ;)

1 - The Beginning
"Our Path of Duty" Keith B. McMullin May 2010 Ensign
While listening to this talk, I was reminded of John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim Progress" and wondered how it described "a path of duty".

2 - The Pilgrim's Progress
by: John Bunyan
(New Read)
An excellent read, although taken slow if you look up all the scripture references he gives. Which I recommend you do. I even found a couple of typos where the printer got the reference backwards. (The verse was really the chapter & the chapter was really the verse). I even added a few of my own references in the margins.

3 - Little Women
by: Louisa May Alcott
(Re-read)
The Pilgrim's Progress plays a significant role with the March girls. The preface to the book is a quote from "The Pilgrim's Progress". I've read this book a number of times and dearly love reading about Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. My mom must of loved this book to cause guess which sister I was named after. Really truly! This reading was so much more wonderful, cause I know had the background of reading Bunyan's book and could understand more clearly the reference to his book. (ie. see the previous post)

Link:

Jo is a companion to her grouchy Aunt March and must sit and read to her. Jo, an avid reader doesn't care too much for her Aunt's choices so whenever the aunt falls asleep, Jo begins reading one of her choices. The following passage is from Jo telling her sisters about how their Aunt caught her:

"I whipped the 'Vicar of Wakefield' out of my pocket, and read away, with one eye on him, and one on aunt. I'd just got to where they all tumbled into the water, when I forgot, and laughed out loud. Aunt woke up; and, being more good-natured after her nap told me to read a bit, and show what frivolous work I preferred ... I did my very best, and she liked it, though she only said -
"I don't understand what it's all about. Go back and begin it, child'
"Back I went, and made the Primroses as interesting as ever I could. Once I was wicked enough to stop in a thrilling place and say meekly, 'I'm afraid it tires you, ma'am; sha'nt I stop now?"
She caught up her knitting, which she had dropped out of her hands, gave me a sharp look through her specs, and said, in her short way, - "Finish the chapter, and don't be impertinent, miss. "
"Did she own she liked it?" asked Meg.
"Oh, bless you, no! but she let old Belsham rest; and, when I ran back after my gloves this afternoon, there she was, so hard at the Vicar that she didn't hear me laugh as I danced a jig in the hall, ..."

4 - The Vicar of Wakefield
by Oliver Goldsmith
(New Read)
While looking for some books at the library that was on a reading list I had, I came across "the Vicar" and decided to give it a try. I started and finished it in a day, but not because I couldn't put it down. Mainly because I was afraid if I did put it down, I wouldn't pick it up again. (Don't box my ears yet, Jo) This is the first book I can say I'm very thankful for the Introduction cause it did give me a heads up and let me know all would come out right in the end, if I would just be patient.
"To the modern reader, whose ear is attuned to very different kind of fiction, The Vicar may present difficulties. The pace is slow, the events melodramatic, the denouncement outrageous. The extravagant praise which the book has received ... may be puzzling. ...." page IIIV Frederick W. Hilles 1950 Yale University

Which it was! but in the end, I did have some good laughs and did enjoy telling a passerby "What I was reading" although she may wish she hadn't asked ;) I can also understand why Jo March liked it so much and plan on putting it on my "re-read" list.

Even though this is already too long, I can't end without one of my favorite quotes from The Vicar :

"As I cannot, Sir, part with this young lady myself, for she has taken a fancy to the cut of my face, all the recompense I can make is to give you her fortune; and you can call upon my steward to-morrow for five hundred pounds." pg. 222

Yep, I'm a sucker for a good romantic ending.

Summer's Approach

2010-05-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

As a kid I could always feel summer approaching as I looked forward to the last day of school and the first day of summer. As an adult, who's been out of school for a few years, it's been a lot harder, except for one thing .... the "Summer Reading Challenge". Every year around May I start to feel a desire for a Summer Reading Challenge, and not just with myself. I always seem to try bringing my siblings into it. I believe my youngest sister, 'Bubba" is usually the victim. I beg, bribe, harass her every year to join me in a reading challenge. To my recollection I was only successful once. Don't get me wrong, she's an avid reader, just not into my "challenges" as much as I am. (Bubba is a nickname I came up with her, that's another story)

The one year I was successful with getting "Bubba" to join me, I came up with a good incentive, a trip to a local amusement/water park. Loser pays for the winner. Not sure who actually won because the true success was we both actually did a lot of reading that summer (as well as enjoyed a sister's day at the amusement park.) I do remember there being 3 ways you could win: 1) Most number of books read; 2) Most number of pages read; 3) Most number of "new" reads. I bought notebooks for us to keep track of our reading. That notebook as become quite special to me. With each book I read that summer, I would create a page with the title, author and a quote from the book. I added stickers that related to the book and at the bottom I wrote the date finished, and the number of pages and whether it was a new read or a re-read. I can tell which books were really enjoyed cause there's 3-4 pages of quotes.

As I look through the book, I remember so much. Shall I share?:

"The sad thing about women is that they believe so much that a man tells them with his lips, and will not listen to what is told by his actions" pg. 77 "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" Josephine Leslie

"Our return journey occupied two days and was as filled with adventure as usual. We are all becoming accustomed to adventure" pg 100 "The Land that Time Forgot" Edgar Rice Burroughs

"Let in the Jungle, Hathi" The Jungle Books - Rudyard Kipling

Those were just a few of the shorter ones. It's amazing how much my reading influences and teaches me. I even have a page for one book that I really didn't like. There's no quote and even now I wish I could erase the memory of that read. I'll not tell you which book it was cause I know others have liked it.

One page lists two years summer reading, I only kept track of the date, title, author, total pages & whether it was new or a re-read. It's got the facts but no real feeling so I'll not track that way if I can help it.

So what do I do about this year. I have a couple of ideas. One came to me while browsing my parent's bookcase. I started pulling out all the books I remember reading when I was younger. I thought it would be fun to revisit and see if I still enjoy the stories.

The 2nd idea has already begun. It's a result from reading "The Pilgrim's Progress". I remembered how much that book was a part of "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. Having finally read it, I decided to read "Little Women" again and see if I uncover more to the story. And I DID, for instance this sentence makes so much more sense now. "Mr. Brooke looked so strong and sensible and kind that the girls christened him "Mr. Greatheart" on the spot."
I was so excited when I came to that point, because I knew who Greatheart was and the title fit so well. So the 2nd idea is to see if I can't connect books from each other. That will be a little harder but I've already got two jumping off places. Off the top of my head I have five "connections" already.

Maybe I do a little of both this summer. So what reading do you have planned this summer and how do you or do you track your reading. Also are you as big a sucker for "Summer Reading Challenges" as I am?

A Fabric Envelope

2010-05-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

As if that wasn't enough posting for one day, I have still have one project left.

I was asked to come up with some "creative" way of handling quite a number of thank you notes for our church chorister. All the kids wrote a note telling how much they appreciated all she had done for them. I thought a box would be nice but a few days ago when I was on my way to ... where else ... the fabric store, I had a brain storm. Since fabric is my medium of choice why don't I make a fabric "envelope" to hold all the thank you notes. And I had the perfect pattern idea in my files. I was even more excited to do this when I found this fabric. Isn't it perfect?

The inspiration came from www.replayground.com and was for a cardboard wallet using cereal boxes. I measured the notes and then designed the envelope to fit them. This was so much fun. I see additional "envelope" projects in the future.

Designing & Finishing

2010-05-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

One Sunday in April, I was wondering what I should sew next. I started doodling on some paper and came up with four different ideas. Now this isn't too unusual because my files are full of scratch paper ideas. As I finished sewing a project this afternoon, I realized the uniqueness of this design brainstorm session. Over the past few weeks, I have completed 3 of the 4 ideas. I believe that is a first, at least that I can remember. What's really great is I found an item I needed to complete the 4th item, so that could very well get done this next week. (We'll see)

So #1 is my own design - A Necessity Pouch to carry in my purse(s)
I have a number of small items that I like to keep in my purse. They don't often get used but sure are helpful when I do need them, such as Kleenex, aspirin, lip balm, ... etc. I don't like them rolling around and most pouches would take some but not all. I figured they needed to be all together yet required different "holding" capacities.

So I came up with a pouch that holds the Kleenex on one side for easy access A pocket on the other side.With a zippered section in between that holds the lip balm, aspirin, and other small items.It's a little rough and the pattern needs some more tweaks
but the finished pouch works rather nicely for my needs.
I'm also really pleased that I finally worked and finished one of my own designs.

#2: Tote bag - for bigger books ;)
This pattern primarily came from Lexie Barnes "sew what! Bags" book. It's a great resource to get designing and making one's own bags. (I used the "Tool Tote" instructions)Brown and Lime green fabric. I just fell in love with this home dec fabric from Jo-Anns. I found some lime green with brown polka dots for the lining. I love how the handles look but wish I had chosen a stronger material. It's too soft to handle with two or three books in there.
(no pun intended ... ok maybe a little pun was intended)

InsidePockets along one side.

And a cute little pocket on the other. It's perfect for lip balm and cough drops.
(Is it obvious that I live in a dry state?)
Now for the down side, I made this to carry a binder and a couple of books but this makes it too heavy. I blame the handles, along with being too lightweight, they are long enough to sling over the shoulder but cut in to the shoulder if the bag is heavy. I'll use it for now but will probably move it over to a knitting/crochet bag. (Yarn is bulky but not heavy)

#3: Billfold - aka Checkbook Cover
My checkbook cover has finally given out after 11 years.

In my idea files I had a couple of instructions on how to make a checkbook cover, one from about.com and another from sewingmamas.com . Both pretty simple, but if I was going to make one, I had a couple of design changes to make.
Most importantly, I wanted a place for a pen and pencil!

Outside Recognize the fabric?
The Brown ribbon tie was a last minute addition. I'm liking how it closes everything up nice and snug but am not sure how annoying it may be getting in and out. So we shall see if it stays or gets cut later.
With all the layers, binding the edge was the best chose to finishing the raw edges.

InsideRibbons to hold the check register pages, now I can get rid of the paperclip I've been using all these years. I wasn't sure which side I would have the register on so I put ribbon on them both just to be safe.
You have no idea how happy those pen and pencil pockets make me.

Looking over this post, I realized something ... I really hate digging for pens. ;)
Oh, and fabric makes me happy!

A Bag for Blue & Brown days

2010-05-07T14:29:00.001-07:00

In February I came across some pretty brown and blue fabric that I thought would make a nice purse. I chose another wonderful pattern from Lazy Girl Designs.

The "Towne Purse"
What made this color/fabric choice even better was I found these buttons at Jo-Ann's.
They are a blue background with brown flowers.
(sorry for the picture quality- Think it's time to take a photography class?)

The straps are short so the purse tucks under my arm. I love the size, which holds all my usual purse stuff, but also has room for a book (very important to me).
It also has about 9 pockets along the inside, which is really nice cause I hate digging for pens, and all the other small items I can't leave home without.

Opps!!! SORRY

2010-05-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ya, I owe you an apology ... at least those who leave comments. I still haven't figured out this whole blog business and it seems I chose an option to "moderate comments", fully expecting to get emails letting me know of comments I needed to look at. Ya well .... guess I don't get any email alerts cause I just found all the comments made on the last post. My apology is because when I saw there were no comments on what I thought was a cool post, I mentally grumbled and ... might have called you some names along the lines of if no one cares why should I, which almost caused me to delete said blog.

So my apologies for thinking so ill of you and for spending more time in self-pity rather then actual posting. ... Oh and my apologies for the "Catch-up post" which will be long, cause I've been sewing and thought you might like to see what I've been up to.

Table Settings & Talents

2010-03-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

Friday, I attended a dinner and program for the women in our church. I volunteered to decorate and set one of the tables. I spent all week planning how I wanted it to look.

My objectives were to:
Show off my Mother's collection of heirloom china
Make sure there was COLOR
Personalize it - show Distinct Amy touches

Here are some pictures of the end result.

Theme: A Tea Party with Strawberry Shortcake and her friends
Strawberry Shortcake's side of the Table
Raspberry Tart's side
Huckleberry Pie's side

What do you say, Think I met my objectives? Let's review shall we:

Show off my Mother's collection of heirloom china: the center piece is a great grandma's pitcher and tea cups she used to serve hot chocolate in. The table setting was my grandmother's china.
Make sure there was COLOR: Pink with splashes of green. The plates and cups have sprigs with pink blossoms. I just loved how four distinct components were all brought together by the use of color.
Personalize it - show Distinct Amy touch: After Mom vetoed my usual table setting technique, (my mom as a number of china sets and I like to set each place using a different collection) I had to come up with something that was more subtle. So besides the color and the dolls, I threw in two odd napkins and placed different silverware on them. Hehehe, what can I say, it's how I rebel. Mom, just be happy I placed the silverware correctly.

Those in charge of the dinner asked us to bring something that represented one of our talents. Here are pictures showing what my mom and I brought.

Taking Pictures is not one of my talents

Mom's display of the Easter Dresses she made for all of us back in 1987.
The 1987 "baby" 's baby is now going to wear the same dress her mother wore in 1987.
(Being grammatically correct isn't one of my talents either)

I chose to show a sock I'm currently making to wear for the upcoming spring and summer months.

All in all it was a fun evening.
I must say Strawberry and her friends did a fantastic job hosting our table.

Will I ever learn?

2010-02-28T10:26:00.000-08:00

Twice in one month!!! Yikes will I ever learn.

The first Saturday in February the girls of the family went out to lunch. When we were leaving I volunteered to carry my niece and ended up pulling my back out. Of course I didn't know this until Sunday morning when I woke up with a stiff back and could barely move. (If you know what a stiff neck feels like, magnify that in the shoulder area and you know how I felt). I spent the day unsuccessfully trying to relax.

Well I had a sewing fever come over me on Friday so Saturday I put up tables and carried sewing machines and a serger into the family room. Something I've done numerous times before and not had a problem. Guess how I feel this morning?

Same pain; Same area; Boy is my chiropractor going to read me the riot act.

Do you think he could write me a doctors note to the "powers that be" that I must have a sewing room in whatever house I live in? For the sake of my back!!!!! Because let's face it: Not sewing is NOT an option.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles ....

2010-01-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

"... begins with a Single Step"

For Christmas, I received a notebook with this saying on the front cover. It caught my eye this week and made me think of a "Journey" that I've been trying to take for quite a number of years.

I've never been very strong in math, at least that's how I've always felt. I couldn't have been too bad cause I made it through my college courses alright. Still I've never been satisfied with my understanding in this subject. Honestly, this is one reason (not the only reason) why I did not pursue taking the GRE; on the practice test my math scores were below normal. Say what you want about it, that really bugged me, I mean really bugged me. How bugged? Well if I'm being honest, the fact is my master's program at the school I was looking into did not care what score I got on the GRE, just that I took it. So to say the least, I'm bugged by my math skills.

Back in high school I got introduced to Saxon Math and really liked their method of reviewing the past lessons along with learning new material. None of the textbooks I had before and even after ever really taught that way. I think I figured that was really my problem with math, I never had consistent review to cement the methods in my memory.

So Saxon Math has really stuck with me through the years because I've bought some of their books hoping to finally "fill in the gaps". Funny cause I own Algebra 1/2, Algebra 1, and Calculus. Algebra 1 was bought in 1999 & Algebra 1/2 last year in 2009 with Calculus being acquired sometime in between. But it wasn't until two weeks ago that I even started working with the Algebra 1/2 book. I started midweek so I got through 2 chapters before the weekend. Then last week I fell off and only completed 1 chapter for the whole week.

This was on my mind when my eye caught the Journey saying. Even though it's been 10 years since I bought the first Saxon book, they all have a brand new appearance because I just never made it past the first week/2 weeks. The biggest challenge I'm having with this time is just sitting down and working through one chapter. The math is currently just addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Understanding how to work large numbers really. So it's stuff I already know but to get through a chapter I have to sit down and focus. Who knew "focusing" would be so difficult? And we are talking focusing for less then an hour, cause none of those chapters have yet pushed me to longer. Another challenge, which could be connected to the whole focusing bit, is waking up the mind to do math. Honestly, I never thought remembering my times tables would be difficult, we're talking 4-9 times tables, people. It shouldn't be that hard, but obviously the math portion of my mind has been unused for too long cause it's really sluggish with coming up with the answers.

Long story but my point is although "A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a single step" it only gets shorter when you take one more step, and then another, and then another. And that is the only way I'm going to complete my math "Journey" by doing one chapter ... today. That's all, just take one more step.

" ... will only be completed, if you take one more step."

How about you?

Feeling Green

2010-01-20T06:59:00.000-08:00

What can I say? The greenish of this template just spoke to me. We shall see how long it lasts. For some it could really turn you away, but then again so could not having anything to say for over a month. What can I say? ... I know I'll blame the fact that I can't figure out where the camera went. That's it. Has anyone seen it?

Just wondering ....

2009-12-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

"You can attract more flies with honey then with vinegar"

Who in their right mind would want to attract flies? They're a nuisance, aren't they?

I am an "Old Maid"!!!!

2009-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

For all those who think "old maid is a bad word"

According to Webster:
old maid: a woman, esp. an older woman, who has never married;
What's even better..... I'm not only an old maid but I'm a spinster too!!!!!
spinster: 1)a woman who spins thread or yarn; 2)an unmarried older woman

Isn't that great, especially when you consider as an artist, thread and yarn are my medium of choice.

Courtesy of a 31 year old unmarried woman who feels it necessary to correct the general idea that: an "old maid is an older unmarried woman who has no hope of ever getting married". That's not what it means and now you know what I mean when I call myself an "old maid".

Background Statistics
Age of Women in my family at time of Marriage:
Mean/Average: 19.95
Medium: 19.3
Mode: 19

Range 4

Sources: Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language 2nd Edition
College Statistics - and to think I thought I would never use this in daily life

Thank you and that's all

Introducing Viola and this season's new hat

2009-09-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

Viola has kindly agreed to model for us today.

This is Viola before the makeup artist and hairstylist gets a hold of her.
See models are just like the rest of us.

For those who were wondering how Viola got her name.

Now if that is all the personal questions you have for Viola, let's get on with the fashion show.

Remember last winter's hat?
It's quite warm and perfect for any blizzards that may come my way.

Now let me introduce you to this winter's new head wear Fashion.
A crocheted Cloche with lovely heirloom pin.
(..mm excuse me ma'am we are in the middle of a fashion show... yes that is your grandmother's pin, doesn't it look great. ... what? really? but, but ... fine, I'll get my own.)

Sorry for the delay, we had a "technical" difficulty

Introducing a crocheted Cloche with a lovely crocheted Star Flower Pin

Now the question I have for you is?
Should I go with the black button?
or the sparkly jeweled button?

More Socks

2009-09-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

With the weather turning cold, I've added two more sets of socks to keep my toesies warm.

These were started in April but not finished until the end of July. Isn't procrastination great!

I was going for more green but as you can see, the blue and yellow are more dominate.

These I finished this month. The yarn was thicker then what I had previously used so I knitted them with larger needles. Turns out I really didn't need to do that, they are slightly big.

But they are Green with brown and off-white.
Now if only it would get cold enough to wear them. Maybe in a month or two.

Buckwheats!!!

2009-09-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

"Well, well, bless my soul! It must be getting late! We've had such a good time I didn't realize. Those certainly were good buckwheats, Miss Cloud. I shan't forget them very soon."

- Cloudy Jewel by Grace Livingston Hill

Buckwheat Pancakes are so stinking good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I made them for the first time tonight and boy oh boy were they good. I highly recommend them.

So has anyone had them or even heard of them?

Another Pie in July

2009-07-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

An apple pie made using Granny Smith apples.

(This is how much a craftier I am, when I was trying to remember what type of apples I used, I kept coming up with "Granny Square")

Hot pad complements of MOM

What makes this one different from most other apple pies is the Cranberry, Walnut, Date mixture on the bottom of the pie. So GOOD!!!!! And yes, just in case you were wondering this is also very good with homemade vanilla ice cream.

All I've got is one Question:

Does Pie qualify as a good mid-morning snack?

I mean it is already on a plate.......................

June/July

2009-07-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Happenings in June/July - at least those I took pictures of ;)

Bread Making

Oh So Good!!!

4th of July Baking

A Raspberry Pie made from Fresh Rasberries. Yum Yum

(Ok, it was made the week following the 4th) It was still Good!

July - time for the car to be re-registered

Safety and Emissions - Emissions passed but Safety didn't. My battery needed to be more secure. I got the necessary parts. And thanks to my brother, it got put on the battery. I took a picture of it cause I wanted to do a post pointing out how rude the big bold "Rejected" across it. When you pass all you get is a form with a certificate with very small letters, which wouldn't have shown up. It's like grades written in red pen. This post never happened cause of the following:

2nd try results followed by a slammed hood, a temper explosion, a punched hood and thrown keys and a few slammed doors and why I really don't like car guys grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

(Yes, I know it's the same picture, but considereing the above do you really think I was capable of handling a camera?)
The car finally did pass cause it was taken by my DAD to an HONEST car guy!

Need to go to a happy place, NEED to go to a happy place

Let's try this picture: Oh yes this works

Oh this was good, especially with homemade ice cream and look how pretty it is.

May's Activity

2009-07-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, finally sitting down at a computer that will read the camera disk. So here are the pictures of post that should have been sooner ... whatever that means.

A Birthday present

Can you tell I love color

A Color Pencil Case

Also in May a two week vacation that was awesome

Hey, it's the only picture I remember taking!

Great Contest on Queen of the Clan

2009-07-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, my very good friend Danyelle is having an awesome contest on her blog, Queen of the Clan. If you love crafting or scrapbooking you will love the EZ view desktop she is giving away. Hurry, the contest closes on Friday at noon (CT).

Reading a Lot

2009-07-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

While my sister was visiting for a week this last month, the two of us went used book shopping and I found a treasure trove of books. In all honesty I was suppose to be just the driver but one book led to another and another. Before I knew it my arms were full enough that one of the store employees offered to get me a cart. (sheepish grin)

I hit the jackpot for sewing reference books. Singer has a set and I found 4 or 5 of them. I'm not sure how many are in the set but I'm happy with what I found. What I like best is their pictures. They are so great. Being a visual learner, pictures make it easier to understand sewing techniques.

I also found some great reading books, non-fiction and fiction. As you can see from my reading list, I haven't wasted time driving right into them.

Along with used bookstores, I've also got caught in a "new" bookstore where I found two great sewing books. And what's even more awesome is I actually read them and they're exactly what I need. I'm tentative at buying new books, but especially sewing books because they will usually sit on the shelf and are rarely used. I think these are the only two sewing books I've read completely through. Now to fully make it completely worthwhile I need to actually start making something from them.

P.S. Sis bought way more books then I did ;)

Yes I'm still here

2009-07-01T06:18:00.001-07:00

Two months is a long time to be cranky. Actually that mood only lasted one day, the next morning I felt just great. Funny how that works. Anyway, I've been very busy and also full of procrastination. Hopefully this is means I'll start posting again. It would be a lot easier if the computer would recognize the camera disk with all my pictures on it. We shall see what I can do about it this week. If not, then everyone have a great 4th of July weekend.

Cantankerous

2009-04-24T12:30:00.001-07:00

You know you're in serious need of an attitude adjustment
when you find yourself picking fights
with .... yourself.

Veronica is Classy!!!!

2009-04-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

I love how truly classy it looks. I don't usually go for black and white but this really works and the pattern just adds to it so much. I am truly pleased with it. After it was done I was like a little girl with a new dress that she wears everywhere hoping someone would complement her on it. A matching wallet is planned if I could only find the time. What's really shocking? I followed the directions and didn't change the design. (Ok, I did make a pen section in the pocket but that's only cause I'm tired of always digging around looking for one.)

Lazy Girl Designs are wonderful.

It's that time of Year Again

2009-03-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Spring is coming as the flower bed in the front yard will attest. This fact has been present in my mind for the last couple of weeks reminding me I haven't read "The Secret Garden" yet and to fail to do so until it's too late would be detrimental to a yearly tradition. One that I came up with myself and traditions you come up with yourself should NOT be ignored. Do you have any traditions to welcome spring in?

P.S. Should you wonder, I have not given up on "Democracy in America". In fact I'm definitely gotten past chapter 2 this time. But I find you have to sit and savor the words in the book. Very enlightening but not one that can be quickly finished.

Book Contest on "From My Wedding to Yours"

2009-03-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, my good friend Danyelle is having a fun contest on her wedding blog, "From My Wedding to Yours". It's for a book titled "Your Temple Wedding" by Jeri-Lynn Johnson and Amy Jones. It's has some tips on having a simple wedding. Now any wedding book that has simple as the focus always catches my eye. I briefly looked at the author's website, where they give a list of "ways to reduce stress". I was happy to see their emphasis on the Temple ceremony being the primary focus for the day. So often, the reception plans overshadows the actual wedding sealing.

Danyelle's wedding blog is a great place to check out for detailed information on wedding topics. I appreciate all the "research" she does, to show all the options out there. Take a topic such as rings, she explains the pros and cons of the different metals available. So interesting and informative.

If you are planning a wedding or find the topic of weddings interesting, head over to Danyelle's blog "From My Wedding to Yours" for a fun discussion on all things related.

Take Care

Reading Democracy in America, cause I want to.

2009-03-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

Now that's what I call a harder read. And I'm a bit nervous to post it cause I've tried several different times to read this and have only made it to the second chapter. Oh well, we shall see. Since it's on the blog, it must mean I'm committed this time around.

Doll Creativity Flowing Again

2009-03-03T11:37:00.000-08:00

A few years back, probably during finals week, I got the idea to make some rag dolls. I was looking at my Raggedy Ann and Andy pattern and started wondering how I could create Strawberry Shortcake and her friends. After extension research and finishing three of them, my creative streak went dry and I put away the plans for any others.

Strawberry Shortcake, Raspberry Tart, Huckleberry Pie

Characteristics in Common: All 10" dolls wear the same type of socks - green and white stripes; and they each have the same face design.
Different Characteristics: Beside their individual character clothes, on their face they each have freckles but the color of the freckles correlate with their signature color.
Strawberry - Red
Raspberry - Pink
Huckleberry - Blue - ok his should have been a blue-purple but the "image" I was working off contained faulty information. It showed blue as his signature color. Which is also how Raspberry became part of the equation. The "faulty image" showed Strawberry as having brown eyes, but upon further research it was discovered that she had blue eyes. And although I was generally satisfied with blue freckles for Huckleberry, I couldn't leave Strawberry with brown eyes, so I made up another doll, and there you have it.

Anyways,

This last week, the four of us got together and decided it was time to add two more friends to the group.

Any guess who this will be.

How about this one?

Or this one?
What? There's nothing there you say.
Oh... well it seems (according to the creative voice in my head) it's just as easy to cut out 3 doll patterns as it is to cut out two. And let's face it, this one can't be left out, even if it does mean another trip to the fabric store.

So what are your guesses?

No I'm not going to tell you! Why I should I be the only one that does extensive research on 1980's Strawberryland and all it's occupants?

February's SOCKS!!!!!!!

2009-03-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

My very first pair of socks has been made and finished.

So cool with stripes of Pink/Burgundy/Brown & White/Blue-Green/ and Orange. I wasn't so sure about the orange, but it does add an interesting contrast.

It's self-striping yarn, which means I just knit and the pattern develops itself. Very fun.

How about a Side View?

Now the question is:
Do I follow up with a second one that's the same thickness and pattern but a different color palette?
Or do I go with a different thicker yarn and see what it looks like?
Or do I finish the crocheted slipper pattern I started a couple of months ago?

Decisions, Decisions
Option one: Allows me to make the adjustments to my design while it's fresh in my mind.
Option Two: Gets me a warm sock while it's still cold
Option Three: Takes care of a UFO (Unfinished Object)

Hey how about some more terms:
Finish or Frog it?
Finish: Pretty self-explanatory, do I really need to define this one?
Frog it: to "rip it" out and try again

Pretty cool huh, helps me understand a number of those knitting blogs I've been reading.

What a Reading Week!

2009-02-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

Can you tell about when I started feeling sick? According to my reading list on the left, I basically started getting sick around the 12th and 13th. Being too sick to do anything and hating to sit in front of the television all day, reading is the best alternative. Of course I chose GLH because she's very good at distracting me from my pains and are quick reads. After 3 of those I've about had it, and was in desperate need of something that would make me laugh. So I chose Ron Carter and his comedies centered in Idaho, both quick day reads. Starting to feel better around the 18th, had enough of television so I decide to read a loaner from my sister. I'm always sceptical about recommendations, mainly cause I'm such a picky reader. So I figure she deserves this after the hard sell she had in getting me to even take it home with me. It was fantastic and I add my recommendation to hers. It takes place after World War II, in England. It's written as a series of letters between the characters, with an woman writer as the main recipient. It maintains a pleasant tone throughout while still allowing the seriousness of what occured with German occupation and bombing to come through to the reader. Definately a step or two above what I had been reading. The characters are quite enjoyable although some of the sub-characters can be difficult to remember, there's so many introduced.

Now having caught up my reading list, I think I need to try a more differcult read, something that isn't completely finished in a day or two; something that makes me take it slow. Which is funny cause that was what I was trying to figure out a week ago before I went down sick.

25 Randomness - Part 2

2009-02-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

8 - I always thought Feb. 17 was pretty cool. I liked how it coinsides with March 17th which is one of my favorite holidays, St. Patrick's Day. A holiday about green and the luck of the Irish. I figured Feb. 17 had to be a close cousin somehow.

9 - I was a month late being born. (Rationally, my mom figures the doc got the date wrong) but still I love that story. It pretty much says I'm on my own time table and will get to it in my own good time. (that saying, this post will pretty much circle around this theme)

10 - I was excited about turning 30. I thought all the "depression/old" stigma 30 got, was completely silly. Now that I was out of the 20's I didn't have to do the same thing as I did then. I would be more of my own person in my 30's and boy was I excited about it.

11 - Now 31, that's been the hard year to accept. So late as always, I get the "30 blues" as a 31 year old. I think it's mainly that the "big plans" I had made as a thirty year old came close to happening but then at the last minute got pulled. ;) Still trying to accept that one.

12 - I was never really into makeup as a teenager. It was so much hassle. That saying, I never really had the acne problem that many of my friends had. I remember a cousin (we were close in age and always good friends) told me once how jealousy she was that I had such clear skin. I didn't have much time to glory in that complement, cause my mom quickly pointed out all that would change when I started wearing makeup more often. And sure enough as a 19 year old with college and stuff, I wore more make up and had more break outs.

13 - Along with that I got braces later, as a college student. Can't remember how or why it came about, but figure ... Oh ya now I remember. I went into have a tooth looked out, it was baby tooth that the dentist had figured just didn't have a tooth behind it. He found it was in pretty bad shape, and then noticed there was a tooth above it that had never pushed the baby out. He sent me to the "braces specialist" who gave me three options, the first one involved pulling at least 2 "good" teeth and leaving the bad one which didn't make sense to me ( but I guess it didn't involve braces) Of course I took option 2 which involved leaving perfectly good teeth alone, pulling the "bad baby" and wearing braces to pull the one down and everything else together. (No I don't remember option 3, only that it was more expensive then the other two.)

14. (Could #13 count for two randomness) I know I'm pretty random, but 25 is alot to come up with and I'm about due for another nasty coughing fit.

15. Cookbooks, you know how they separate the recipes into the different categories. The Breads category would be the area I like to play with the most. Meat still remains a mystery to me but I love playing with and learning different techniques of working with bread.

16. Did you know that generally speaking scalding milk doesn't need to be done, because pasteurization kills all the bacteria but when it comes to making bread their is an enzyme in milk that effects the "texture/rising" of bread. And by scalding the milk, it inactivates the enzyme that pasteurization never did. Fascinating stuff I tell you.

17. Talking about bread, my mom is very particular about her freshly baked bread, not allowing it to be cut while it's still hot. Well one time, I guess I caught her in a weak moment and she gave me permission to cut into a loaf that just came out of the oven. Now for you to get the full effect of what happened you need to know that she had her back to me and my dad was facing her and could see everything I was going ;) Remember that! Not letting a rare opportunity like this to go by, I decided that this loaf was special and should be cut special. So instead of cutting normal slices (side to side) I cut it from end to end, one long piece of warm mouth watering butter melting slice of bread. My dad started to point out what I was doing, was interpreted by my mother as just complaining that she never lets anyone cut into her bread/why letting me do it now. So he starts getting "lectured" by my mom and I'm loving every minute of it. ( I don't know if this makes any sense, but oh well) Anyway, he finally gets her to see what I'm doing as I finish spreading the butter on it. Yes, they had their own slices of "Amy's Slicing bread method"; 5 slices and the loaf was gone!!!! No she hasn't allowed me to cut into her hot bread since, but it was still so worth it.

18 - Amy's "Special" slicing method came in handy another time at a family birthday party (no not mine) No one wanted to cut the birthday cake so I took it upon myself to stop the suffering of the little kids who just wanted to have some cake but weren't allowed to touch knives. So standard cake pan cutting procedures: 3-4 across/5-6 down, nice even square servings for the group Am I right? Well I followed that ... sort-of, instead of straight lines, I made them wavy. It was so cool and those who wanted a "big" piece got their big piece and those who prefer a smaller sampling had that option too.

Ok, that does it for me. I'm running low. Till the next installment of "25 Randomness" please have a nice day and if you're not I recommend trying "Amy's Specially Slicing Method". And if this is too much information for you, just let me know and I can cancell the final installment, cause I'm feeling a little exposed.

25 Random Items - Part 1

2009-02-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

I got tagged by a good friend to list 25 random "stuff" about myself. It's been a week and I figured this will have to be done piece meal if it's ever going to be done.

1. Grey hairs having be appearing in my hair for the last few years and I can't help but be completely fascinated by them every time I look in the mirror. They hold such a "cool" factor for me.

2. I "over-dosed" on romance novels as a teenager, and to this day, the thought of reading one makes me nauseous.

3. I find knitting very soothing. Funny thing is crochet doesn't make me feel the same way. I love both but knitting has a rhythm that completely relaxes me.

4. I don't follow instructions very well, either with cooking or sewing. I will see a pattern/recipe I like but when I go to make it, I always tend to tweak it someway or another. Which always brings up the question, "if it doesn't work out was it my fault or the pattern/recipe's fault?

5. I love to learn. I will go through periods where I'm fascinated by a specific subject and want to really learn it in depth. As a teenager, I loved "The Messiah" and would go to bed with it playing. That triggered a reading of Handel's biography, followed by other composers.

6. Since High School I've attended four different schools, graduating from three of them.

Cosmetology School - Cosmetology License
Business College - Associates degree of General Studies (1-2 semesters more and I could have had one in Accounting or Office Management)
University - Family and Consumer Science (with my own emphasis in Clothing & Textiles)

I like to consider I chose the "Build your own Degree" Program for my education.

7. I drive a 20 year old car and for my next big "dream" purchase I want to buy a small house. I can't help wondering if I skipped a step somewhere.

Ok, the current head cold I am suffering from has dictated I go to bed.

Meal Preparation on a Saturday

2009-02-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

I was informed this last week that the cook was taking a couple of weeks off to go visit her mother. Knowing if I didn't do something over the weekend, I would be starving or eating too much fast food while she was away. I pulled out my recipe books, tagged some recipes, made a list and then narrowed it down to 7 dinner meals I like to cook and trust the outcome. Then armed with a shopping list, I did my grocery shopping. And although I had a calculator in my pocket, I didn't use it, just put in the cart what I needed, a couple of things that sounded cool, and prayed the full cart wouldn't go over $100. $60 was all it came to. I was so impressed and pleased with myself. All that food and healthy and raw materials - no prepared stuff. Ok I did get a frozen lasagna but you've got to have a contingency plan for the night you don't want to do anything but throw it in the oven and eat right away. Right?

So here's the day's work in as little words as I can do.

I came across a powered milk recipe to make your own Hot Chocolate mix. Since I'm lactose intolerant, I've got some powered soy milk that I wanted to try out. It's not so great alone so I wanted to try it with Carob and see how it tastes. Why Carob you ask? Well it seems my "chocolate" allergy morphed with my MSG allergy and it too triggers migraines.
Yeah, no more chocolate for me. Migraines are SO MEAN!!!
(If truth be told, I actually prefer Carob) - what movie is that from?

My Hot Carob Mix
I wasn't sure how it would taste so I only mixed up a 1/4 of the recipe.
How does it taste? :( Honestly I'm not convinced just yet. Maybe with marshmallows and a candy cane to stir it with .... ? We shall see.....

Next Recipes: Meatloaf & Porcupine Meatballs

Onions Separate for the 3 different recipes I'll be using them in.
Meatloaf Recipe
Mix everything together and form into 12 good-size meatballs. Think 3/4 muffin tin size
Place on a cookie sheet and "flash" freeze. (I think that's the term) Basically by freezing them first this way, they keep their shape when put into the Zip lock bags. I was first introduced to this idea when I spent a few weeks with my cousin's family in Missouri. My Aunt Sally would mix up cookie dough and freeze it this way. I thought it was the coolest thing and beat cookie rolls for sure. With these you don't have to get your hands messy trying to cut anything, just pull them out and put them on the cookie sheet. This is the first time I've done it with meat but instead of a cookie sheet, I will use a muffin tin. Honestly I'm not quite sure how it would turn out on a cookie sheet. Could be interesting. Just make a note the meatloaf cooks faster separated into a muffin tin then all together in a loaf pan. Adjust time accordingly
Porcupine Meatballs ready for the freezer.
For those who don't know what Porcupine meatballs are they are your average meatball recipe with rice added to them. I think they're pretty good. The recipe calls for uncooked white rice. I used brown rice, which takes longer to cook and usually doesn't, at least not completely. And since I really don't like the "crunch" factor, I decided to cook the rice for 20 minutes. That way when the meat balls get cooked for the meal, the rice will definitely be cooked completely. Here's hoping. Just don't do what I did which was to double the rice recipe. I figured I would then split the portions with the stir-fry recipe, but I got too into the recipe and added all the rice to the meatballs. So these are one times the meatball recipe with twice the rice. Oh goody, hope I still like the rice aspect after this.

Now to prepare the veggies for a stir-fry and a Pasta Salad
Dense Veggies - Take longer to stir-fry

Pasta Salad Ingredients (including carrots)
I didn't want to make the same mistake I did with the rice so I made sure to separate the common veggies for both recipes.

So Pretty
Less Dense Veggies - cooks faster, bag separately so they can be added later

Chopped and ready for bagging

Now I know I'm going to be using these in the next couple of days so I'm not throwing them in the freezer but you can if you want to. Although the pasta salad ingredients probably shouldn't go in the freezer.

The frozen meatballs & meatloaf bagged and ready, enough for 4 meals serving 3-4 people. I'm pretty impressed with the afternoon's work. I made up four recipes that made enough for about 8 meals. The veggies I bagged together and will make up as one meal, I just know I'll have enough leftovers for a couple of meals. The meatballs and meatloaf I separated into two quart baggies so I only pull out what I need to serve for one meal. (If that makes sense)

After this I cleaned up the kitchen, put everything away and went downstairs to put my feet up. BOY were they killing me. I did it quickly because I was so tired, my feet hurt and I was afraid I would beat the first person who walked into the kitchen and asked, "So what's for dinner"

Note to self: Find a man who will be the kind of husband who understands that after a day like this, he takes care of the dinner, for the good of all concerned. If one can't be found, remain single cause that amount of food should keep you for at least 3 weeks if not a month.

PS: Movie Reference "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
PSS: So much for a "minimum" word post

A Lovely Bag with a Confession

2009-02-01T18:31:00.001-08:00

So this is a bag I made a couple of weeks ago. I was feeling the itch to do some sewing and I really "needed" a bag to hold my knitting supplies. Actually I've got a ton of bags already but none of them quite worked. Or so that was my rationalization. Anyway after spending several days digging through my fabric stash and covering the guestroom with all my options, I had the print I wanted but not a solid. (I have to mix and match fabrics, I have a hard time just using one). Still not completely happy, I decided to go and take a look at my "clothes" fabric boxes, which basically hold fabric best suited for ... you guessed it clothing. That's where I found some green/grey material already cut for pants but definitely destined for a higher purpose. The two went so well together. I was thinking the print for the outside and the pocket and the twill for the lining and the bottom of the purse.

McCall's Pattern Pieces and a second Challenge (the first was choosing the fabric duh)
There wasn't enough twill to cut out for lining (Piece #4)
And McCall's design, although nice, didn't really fit my "image" of what I wanted.

My Interpretation of McCall's Pattern Pieces

Since there wasn't enough of the twill for the lining and I really REALLY wanted those two fabrics together, I decided to cut about 3" off the bottom of the bag, making that piece out of the twill, added more visual and physical weight to the bag. I also chose to stick with an off white muslin for the lining, which I have plenty of. Oh but I didn't stop there. That square pocket was going to be quite inadequate for my purposes.

TA DUM
My new and improved pocket with several different sized pockets.

See how it works so well to hold those future knitting projects.

What it generally looks like, can you see why I had to redesign the bag. I just couldn't image having only that print for the bag, the twill adds such a nice dimension and it gave me a wonderful opportunity to add top stitching. Top stitching and edge stitching adds a nice dimension and finishing touch to most projects.

And that is all of the pictures because it was about this time I got more interested in sewing the bag then documenting it's progress. That and my sewing machine is in a dungeon and all the pictures turned out too dark to see any details (see last picture) The first four pictures were taken upstairs where I cut everything out (and no I was not about to run upstairs after every step, I love you guys but not that much)

What I love most about this bag is the color/pattern coordination. Before I chose the green twill, the leaves pattern looked like it was Grey, but next to the twill, they looked more green. I also really liked the purple/violet flowers and wanted to emphasize them, so I chose to top stitch in a dark purple. From far away it looks like black but up close it complements the violet flowers and the green twill marvelously. I just love to stare at how the colors play with each other. ( I love color especially with fabrics, which is one reason I've never considered working in a Bridal Shop-my creative sensibilities demand color.... and less expensive fabric)

Now for the confession: It's too big for the knitting project I was thinking of and ..... super smart Amy with her pocket design didn't think about how the bag would be worn. The pocket stretches from seam to seam right? Well the purse slips over the arm with one seam against the hip. Which means if there's a whole lot in the pockets, that purse just ballons out from my waist (and trust me my waist doesn't need anymore "visual" weight. Ah nuts!!!!

I love it anyway and have used it for a purse, although don't ask me to find anything in it too quickly. Although it does have an annoying habit of slipping off my shoulder (a purse characteristic that makes me crazy!) So if my knitting skills ever move onto sweater level, then I've got the perfect bag to hold all that yarn. In the mean time, it's still cool to look at.

Reading Lists

2009-01-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

I love to read, and I usually have one or two books that I'm currently reading. So I thought it would be fun to track what I read this year on the side bar. So the first book I've completed this year is called "The Little Lame Prince". And it's part of my parent's collection. It actually contains two stories by Dinah Marie Mulock, the second one being "Adventures of a Brownie" which turned out to be really cute. I loved the different adventures of the Brownie, who loves to play tricks on disorderly or slovenly people. This actually was my first introduction to a Brownie.

The Little Lame Prince is a fairytale of sorts, which is just the kind of fairy tale I like. Instead of a "damsel in distress" we have a prince who because of an accident, has paralzyed legs. He does have a "magical" godmother but she doesn't change his circumstances as much as she helps or instructions him on how to bear it and do some good in the world.

Both stories were written for children, so if you're looking for a good read-aloud, "The Little Lame Prince" would be a good choice.

And interesting sidenote and further evidence of the books I like to read, this story was originally published in 1874. What can I say, classics are books that survive the test of time.

Homemade Christmas Results

2009-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

So before it's too late and I actually forget about everything I did. My Christmas challenge was to see if I could make items using all the different skills I've learned so here goes:

Knitting:

Scarfs - No pictures cause you've seen them already. They were my first two knitting projects and I gave them to my Mom and Dad.

Cross-Stitch

I cross-stitched two bookmarks for a couple of family members that love to read. Only one is pictured because I forgot to take a picture of the second one. Opps, Sorry

Sewing:

Now this first one is my absolute favorite. It's a rocketship pattern I found on line. The material was space theme that was left over from a blanket my mom had made years ago for my brother. So I thought it was only fitting to make a rocket ship out of it and give it to his 1 year old son.

Blast Off!

Not really but with my "excellent" photography skills, it certainly looks like it's moving.

Using the same material I made a face mask with flaxseed inserts (2) and a fleece blackout insert. This was a challenge for me to make. Only because I thought it was geeky and kept putting it off, but after being reassured by my loving brother that anything I gave him would be appreciated I went ahead with the sewing of it. I was able to sew this together in an afternoon. My brother suffers from migraines quite frequently, and if you've ever had a migraine, light sensitivity is a major factor to consider. I decided to make the inserts, so they could be put in the freezer and be nice and cold any time they're need. The pattern is one I made up after looking at several different options. And yes it's the same space loving brother who's son got the rocket ship.

A make-up case that was supper easy and taught me a great technique for zippers.

Now I know you've seen these before but if others can do Christmas Shopping in July, I can use projects from early in the year for Christmas. Especially when they were perfect for the recipients.

So there you have it. There wasn't any embroidery completed, although I did have a few ideas, but ran out of time. And I did have at least two crochet projects that I completed during this time, but they weren't gifts, they were for me. They were the hat and scarf I've shown in previous posts. So all in all I'm pretty happy with how this "challenge" worked out.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

Believe it or Not I am done with Christmas Presents. And even more shocking then that I have them all wrapped too!!! This has never really happened to me before. I'm a bit bewildered. Now before you think I'm really good, I'm not. When I say I'm done, it means I have something for everyone on my list, even if it wasn't what I originally planned for. (And yes the thought that I've forgotten something has very much occurred to me, but at least I have three days to remember)

This is go great, cause in December's past it's been Christmas eve, family is around and I'm desperately trying to finish up a project while fooling myself that the recipient hasn't really notice what I'm working on. And now I've gotten everything done in time that HOPEFULLY, (for the most part) no one's got a clue.

What this also means is other items get to come up in priority. Tonight, it's reclaiming the guest bedroom before said guest show up. Since the projects are done then the boxes, tools, and fabrics, yarns and "stuff" can get put away.

Also, I have a sugar cookie recipe I want to try out. And because there really isn't any hope for me, I've got some projects/ideas, I want to work on. (I said the guest room gets clear, but my room .. well that's an entirely different story) With that, I have designated the next couple of weeks as "guilt-free" project zone. No projects I HAVE to work on, only those I WANT to work on, ...for the shear fun of creating and only if I feel like it.

Pictures of how well this year's Christmas gift goal went will be posted after Christmas morning. Now I wasn't able to give ALL homemade but I must say I did pretty good considering.

Merry Christmas and good wishes for your holiday.

A New Scarf

2008-12-16T08:29:00.001-08:00

Third time's the charm, Right?
I think so!
I would like to introduce you to the current love in my life.
(Silly way to phrase it but golly gee I love this scarf. )

The color was love at first sight, and the feel sealed the deal.
The design had been there in my head since I finished my first knitted scarf.
Last week I had my doubts when I tried casting on.
Thursday was really scary when I alternated between larger needles/hooks, knitting and then crocheting.
And when the yarn broke, oh such growling that ensued. But I was not going to be beat, so with a large crochet hook and a determination to not do anything fancy I began again.
At the end of the evening I had two rows and all I could think was
60's/70's/avocado green/retro
????
(a look I don't really see myself as).
Friday evening brought calm, and then a growing excitement
as I finished and stood up to try it on.
And then there was Saturday when I had a reason to wear it somewhere
(something I didn't do with the other two, they were just finished, admired, photographed and then folded away, while my eyes & mind wondered to the next possibility in the way of scarves, shameless I know)

So from the personal collection of Amy A, I introduce you to:
Long & Skinny
(NO smart alec remarks about how it's the opposite of me: short and ... you know not skinny;)
Now with most scarves, their width folds over while sitting on my shoulders/neck. This double thickness pushes my head forward and I feel like I am always staring at the ground.
What a kink in the neck!
And If I dare wrap the scarf around my neck to keep warm, it makes me claustrophobic and I'm even more "chin to the chest".

Now with Long and Skinny, I can wrap that scarf around me, creating a cowl look. My head stays up straight, unless the winds blowing then everyone is ducking their head. I'm warm, can breath and feel oh so stylish!

For those interested in the Pattern:
(It's really simple and the idea came from here - Laughing Purple Goldfish)
Using a size N crochet hook, chain a LONG chain (measure the length you personally want for yourself - mine almost touched the floor ... standing!!!)
Once you get your length, 1st row: sc in 2nd stitch from hook and sc to end of chain.
2nd row: chain 1, sc to end
repeat until you have the width you want, mine turned out to be 8 rows.
Optional fringe: you can add it after you finish the scarf
OR like me (lazy) : at the end of each row leave a tail before beginning the next row. When you're done, cut the loops, tie together and there you have it.

What's really cool, I only used 1 skein of yarn!!!!
And I got it done before the first Snow Fall (and boy is the snow falling now!)

(FYI: While knitting the first scarf, I had the thought to see if I could get it done before it snowed. So you can image my excitement at getting three done before it snowed.)

It's Done IT's Done IT'S DONE

2008-12-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

It's done oh done three months later done but oh so nice you see because it's finally done!

In fact this dress has been done for a whole week. I just haven't posted it cause it wasn't picked up until Saturday, and I figured you would like to see it actually being worn. Sorry about the picture quality. I'm a lousy photographer.

So when did it get done? Tuesday night. In fact I had finished my last stitch on the hem when Michelle (Biggest Loser) got up on the scale and blew the other contestants out of the water. So I screamed double loud; 1st for me and 2nd for Michelle.

So LS I hope you like it.
I think you look great, in spite of your photographer.

A New Hat

2008-12-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

Just so you don't think I've given up on crochet; this last weekend I whipped up a cute hat. I found the pattern for this "newsboy" cap on Knit and Crochet Today , a T.V show I ran across last Thursday. It is from Season Two; show 201.

I'm not one for the knitted cap look, but I liked the design so much I thought I would give it a try. The flower didn't turn out as big as the one shown on the webpage, which was a good thing. I was a bit skeptical about having that huge a flower so I'm very happy with the size of this one. I also thought their brim was a bit short so I added two more rows to mine.

To jazz it up I attached the two buttons. I really like how they work with the design. The one on top looks just like a button on a regular newsboy cap. Of course when you put it on, it's more of a 1920's Cloche hat, which makes me love it even more.

I did take a couple of pictures with it being worn, but decided not to post them. Sorry the "model" was looking a little scary and I didn't want that to affect your opinion of the hat.

Now all I need a good place to wear it, it's more of an outside cap so wearing it where you're going inside a lot isn't really the best. If we would ever get some snow, sledding would be perfect.

Dress Pictures as Requested

2008-12-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

Skirt Attached
Up close
Trim pinned and ready to be sewn - hand sewn that is.

Knitting

2008-12-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

My first knitting project

I used a Forest Green wool yarn and size 8 needles.

I bought two skeins of yarn but wanted to only use one. Well I got to the end and the scarf was still too short. So I ended up using 1 1/3 skeins of yarn for this scarf.

Challenge: Learn to knit!!! Hold needles, Hold yarn and get a good tension, cast on stitches, knit stitch, cast off stitches (Officially called bind off stitches ;)
Now my mom did show me how to work a purl stitch, but I figured just getting the above down would be challenge enough.
Instructions: Cast on 27 stitches; Knit stitch until desired length; Bind Off stitches

Optional: Add Tassels if so desired

2nd Knitting Project (Yes, there is another)
Challenge: Use the Purl stitch and learn to read a Pattern

The day before Thanksgiving found me in Hancock Fabrics looking for material. I came across some skeins of yarn in a Clearance bin discounted 30%. What caught my eye was this Olive Suede yarn. I'm not sure how well the picture shows it but it's quite the green and I liked it.

While digging around, I came across a beautiful Navy Cashmere yarn. I couldn't resist, so I bought two skeins of the Olive and two of the Navy. Now to find a pattern. I didn't have to look far for a pattern. It was right there wrapped around the Navy yarn. The label had a model wearing a scarf with a basketweave pattern.
I pulled off the label and looked at the instructions on the back.
Requires 2 balls of yarn (Check)
Instructions: Cast on 20 Stitches (Can do & I liked the idea of a thinner scarf then the last one)
Rows 1, 3, 5: Knit 4 Purl 4 Knit 4 across
Rows 2, 4: Purl 4 Knit 4 Purl 4 across
Repeat until you've got your length
Pretty basic, this was perfect.

As excited as I was about the Olive, I chose to go with the Navy for this scarf.
Now the note book is to demonstrate that this wasn't an easy knit. I'm still learning to distinguish a knit stitch from a purl and rows from each other. So I made a mark every time I finished a row, that way I would know which number of row I was on. Trust me, I had a good start on this scarf before I found the necessity of this tracking system and had to undo 10 rows ( I think it was 10) to get back on track. And after all that, I still don't think it's easy to undo a knitting mistake. Hopefully with practice I'll be better able to recognize where I'm at in a project.
Here's a rather poor picture of the pattern. Sorry if it's hard to see. Just image what a basket weave pattern is and there you have this scarf. This only took me 6 days to complete, only because it was Thanksgiving Break and I wasn't feeling well for Saturday and Sunday. And when all you can do is sit, hand projects like knitting is the perfect thing to work on.
Side Note: This is the first time I worked with cashmere and boy is it nice. So soft it makes regular yarn feel rough in comparison. Just for the heck of it, I googled the cost of cashmere scarves. We talking $40 - $100.
And mine .... try $5.40 TOTAL So cool.....

Now what to do with the Suede yarn?

"The Gentle Art of Domesticity" Jane Brocket

2008-11-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

I usually read a book rather quickly. But with this one, I took it a little slower, finishing it three weeks after beginning it. In the previous post I tried explaining it and didn't do a good job so here I am taking another shot at it.

First in Jane's Words:
" I was wondering how to explain what I believe is the key to the gentle art of domesticity. For me it is recognition - recognition of the worth of homemaking, of overlooked skills, of ordinary things. Above all it is the recognition of the small but significant moments that all too often go unnoticed in the general speed and melee of daily life. In order to enjoy domesticity, we need to cultivate a habit of stepping back every so often to pause and observe and enjoy, and allow these moments to crystalize .... " pg. 274

Just one example of recognizing Domesticity:
While reading Jane's book, I realized why I love Grace Livingston Hill's books so much. After all these years, they still draw me in but not for the same reason. They are packed with the "gentle art of domesticity". This last month I was in the middle of one, when I looked up and told my mother and grandmother (who was visiting at the time) that I needed a "workbasket". My mother looked at me like I had lost it and said "Workbasket? what are you talking about?" I then explained how in the book, the characters were moving into a house and were "setting up housekeeping"(making me envious). GLH described everything about what they were shopping for and how they were arranging everything, even down to the maid's room ... which included a workbasket. Now this made me realize it wasn't the first time GLH mentioned workbaskets. Now workbaskets don't play any role in the story but act more as background kind of like the furniture and set for plays. The mother figure will pick up her knitting that's sitting by chair (in her workbasket) and patiently work on it while entertaining a rather irritating visitor. And since I'm learning to knit ... I need a workbasket!!! They are also handy for holding sewing, mending ...

Mom's response: "Well then, you've already got plenty of workbaskets"

Mine: "No, I've got work plastic bags, and work filing boxes, and even work piles but no real "work basket". Then for backup and to prove that I wasn't completely making this up, I asked my grandmother if she knew what I was talking about, "Oh, ya, growing up we had our workbasket". Of course she didn't go into further description, which I wish she had; but my point was made.

Long example I know, but being able to recognize and even define "the gentle art of domesticity" for yourself adds so much richness to your life as it has done for mine (such as the value as something as ordinary as a basket). After every chapter, I would just sit and savor the thoughts and images she presented and what I could add from my own experience. I highly recommend reading this book, maybe then you're be able to do a better job of describing it's merits then I have.

PS: Hey I just notice my picture illustrates my example perfectly, see the box, plastic bag and pile. Oh how I need a basket!!! The funny thing is as I've been in different stores with my mom, we have begun looking at baskets and discussing the different aspects that need to make up the proper "work basket". Haven't found the right one yet. ;)

Skirts, Books, Socks, and Secrets, Oh My!

2008-11-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

As usual I've been busy since last I posted.

Skirt

Step 6 is complete!!!! The skirt has been attached to the bodice and it really looks cool. And if the camera would work, you could see how cool. Oh well. So now Zipper, Hem, Lace, Zipper Hem Lace, ... That's all that's left .... I hope!

Books

"The Gentle Art of Domesticity - Stitching, Baking, Nature, Art & the Comforts of Home"
by Jane Brocket

I have a number of sewing/craft blogs I like to read and had created quite a list of books that were recommended. Well at the first of November, I treated myself one night to a trip to Borders. After a 1/2 hour of browsing, picking up, wondering and placing backing down ,I had pretty much decided there wasn't anything I really wanted to buy. Then I happened to remember a couple of the books on that list and went looking. I found two and that's when the deliberation began. You see this one was $10 more then the other one which was still $10 more then I "budgeted". And it looked more like a coffee table type of book. You know the ones, great to look out but no one actually reads all the way through. The second choice looked shorter and was specifically about sewing. Well with time short, I handed the second choice to my mom to browse through while I looked this one over. What can I say I'm very particular about 1) money I spend on books, 2) time I spend reading books and 3) whether they are worth it. I have a thing about books collecting dust especially brand new books. After flipping through and reading in several different locations I was hooked. She wrote how I felt but never knew how to put into words. Even now as I try to explain I can't seem to say it the way I want to. Except in Jane Brocket, I found someone who shares similar views of baking, sewing, crocheting, that I've always felt. This isn't a book about sewing or crocheting or baking bread but more the joy and satisfaction that comes discovering a part of you that so many put down as beneath you, or a waste of your intellectual faculties or ..... (Do you ever come across something that feels you so full of thoughts and feelings and ideas that you just can't express it in words. Well that is how I feel about the "gentle art of domesticity". So I will stop right here and save the rest for a later post.)

Socks

My mother taught me how to crochet when I was 8/9/ or 10 years old. I don't remember the age, but I do remember the place. And I have loved crocheting all these years. Even now when the leaves start turning colors and the weather gets nippy, and fall is felt and smelled and breathed, I want to pull out my crochet hooks, look over my yarn stash and start creating a blanket that grows warm as the days grow cold. But in all those years I have never had any desire to learn to knit, ... that is until now. In anticipation for my 31st birthday coming up in a few months and the official entry into "old maid-em", I felt now was the time to learn. Just kidding. Actually, Stripy socks are the real culprit. I want to make stripy socks! Not buy them, but make them. So one Friday during my lunch hour, I went into an awesome yarn shop we have here and asked for a sock pattern. Of course I did mention I had no idea how to knit, so I was shown the most basic pattern, bought it, and that evening I went to Jo Ann's (a little less expensive then the yarn shop) and bought me a "teach yourself how to knit" kit and two skeins of green wool. Then I went to my mom and asked her to teach me. (Yes I'm the type who over prepares rather then under prepares.) The first week was filled with several attempts and unraveling of those attempts. My grandmother who was visiting at the time kept asking me if I had made it to an inch yet. Not exactly, but it was interesting week of dropped stitches, too tight stitches and the patience and laughter of my instructor. (Hey if you're going to tax the patience of someone, you do it in such a way that they laugh at you rather then growl. At least that's my philosophy.) By the first of the second week I finally had an inch of the scarf I am trying to make. It's straight knit stitches, so I only need to know how to cast on, knit, and cast off (I'm not sure that is the right term but hey it works for me.)

Now I'm making good progress at learning to knit but how long before I can take on socks? It doesn't bode well when your "instructor" who has been knitting for years doesn't quite understand the "basic" sock pattern you bought. But I still hope, and to add to that, I bought a set of 4 different size sock needles. Now I've got the needles, and the pattern, I just need the skill and the yarn. And I do love knitting now that I've got the hang of it. It's really quite fun, and relaxing.

Secrets

Christmas is coming fast and I've been planning all kinds of surprises. So I can't tell you particulars, only my theme seems to be "homemade". Which may not be anything new, except with my reading, and learning to knit, and sewing, I think I want to put all my little "skills" to work and make it a diverse "homemade" Christmas. So crocheting, cross-stitching, sewing, maybe some embroidery. Knitting, I'm not so sure of because I've just begun to learn and I'm not so keen on giving away my very first project. We shall see. Most of my ideas get narrowed down drastically by the time Christmas comes, but I'm showing some good progress. Along with getting that dress completed, I hope to finish one batch of gifts or at least 2/3 of it before December even starts.

Here's hoping!

Hey Look at ME! I've got Sleeves

2008-11-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

So what ever happened with the dress?

Well two weeks ago, (the Saturday before Halloween), I had a 5 hour sewing session and felt really good with the progress I made. These were the steps in my head when I started Saturday Morning:

Sew together bodice
Sew together lining
Sew lining and bodice together
Put together sleeves with flounces
Sew sleeves to bodice
Gather and sew skirt to bodice
Attach zipper (Mom's department - I don't know how to sew hidden zippers, not yet at least)
Sew/Attach ribbon decoration to dress
Measure and sew hem.

My aim was to get to step five, hey it would be really great to have the skirt attached by the end of Saturday. That would only leave steps 7-9, which could so be done by Thursday, Saturday at the very latest. I even figured one hour for the bodice, one hour for the lining, and 2 hours for the sleeves, leaving about 2 hours for the skirt. Well that sounds good in theory. And it did work out that way, sort of.

I got the bodice sewn together. The lace on the center panel was my idea. The pattern calls for ribbons, to make bows. In the original discussion of this, we decided .... well I'm not entirely sure what we decided, because as I looked at it further and further, the ribbon step needed to be done before the bodice was shown together, and we were thinking it would be done at the end with the other ribbon decoration.

Honestly I didn't want to a) make ribbon from the fabric or b) go to the store and try to decide which ribbon to choose. When I'm at this kind of a crossroads, I usually do a lot of staring at the fabric and the pattern and whatever supplies I might have on had and then back to the fabric. Yes, sometimes this involves chewing nails, and running fingers through my hair. Which makes this a good spot to make sewing confession number 2:

When I sew I play music. And the music of choice is classical, preferably opera. I've tried county/rock/ etc, but it doesn't work for me. That type of music actually makes me more irritated and shuts the brain down. So it's classical and what's really great is if there are lyrics involved, (yes I sing). So most of the time I have The Marriage of Figaro playing loudly, but for some reason I couldn't find it so I had to settle for Julia Andrews and her singing of some famous musicals and the Messiah. Both were good, although after a week of the musicals, I had such phrases like "just you wait Henry Higgins, just you wait" repeating over and over in my head. I really need to find Figaro.

The music really helps me focus and ignore everything but the task at hand while opening me up to creative inspiration. And honestly it worked, cause I'm really liking how the lace looks and think it will really pull together the dress. I believe when the skirt is gathered and attached to the dress, the panels will line up and look so awesome.

So here is the finished bodice.

And the finished skirt with the lining on top to the side.

At this point I determined step 3 - sew lining to the bodice was dumb. I understand the pattern's reasoning but I think I know better. Of course I won't really know if I know better until the end. I just think the lining should not be done until the sleeves are attached, skirt attached and zipper is in. This way, the lining will hid all the unfinished seams (including zipper, sleeves, and skirt) and make it really nice and finished. The pattern figures you can just hold the lining out of the way when you sew the zipper or skirt on. And of course I beg to differ.

Now sleeves - that's where my nice little time schedule got off. The sleeves took about three hours and that was just to get them assembled. It was the lace flounces that ate up the time, of course here again was where I ignored the pattern's instructions and I was right to. For the lace hem, I sewed a thin white ribbon along the edge, then I used French seams instead of regular seams. French seams look so awesome, and with the transparency of lace, they hide the raw edges really well. Now there are two flounces per sleeve and the instructions say to gather them separately. I don't think so! Can you image the swearing that would have come from such a task? I put the two together and treated it as one. Three rows of gathering stitches (instead of 6), gathering once (instead of twice) and sewing once (instead of twice). Repeat for second sleeve.
Oh so nice and so much better. Don't they look awesome?

Six hours sewing, with three hours on those sleeves and I still had to attach them to the bodice, I was beat. So I called it quits for the day.

Well it seems it was quits for the next two weeks, cause that's where those sleeves sat till last night. I do have good reasons, at least for not doing anything last week, it was a headache week, meaning headaches everyday. So a rest was needed.

But last night I finally sat down and attached those sleeves to the bodice.
Now .... doesn't the bodice look awesome?

I can't wait to see how the skirt looks when it's finally attached. I can't say how soon, cause the skirt has 5 seams that need to be finished. If they aren't finished, the fabric will ravel like crazy. I don't have to worry about the seams on the bodice, cause it's lined, but the skirt isn't. I would love to serge them, but the serger is at the repair shop. So I either wait for the serger or I use another method. Makes me wish I had thought of French seams before I had sewn the skirt together. Oh well I'll figure something out.

Now you're up-to-date on where I'm at with the dress. Sorry for the long post, but what can I say, I love this stuff!!!

Thoughts from some people I've come to Admire

2008-11-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

Last night I was looking through some boxes and came across a notebook where I had written some quotes I really liked. When I'm reading I like to take note of passages that speak to me and then I write them down, usually on any piece of paper I come across. So in this little notebook I found the following:

Madame Curie by Eve Curie (Marie Curie's daughter)
Marie Curie stated:
"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing at whatever cost, must be attained"

On the same page I have written: 1 Corin. 2:9
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

Exploring with Byrd (Admiral Richard E. Byrd - I've read a few things on and written by him)
(While in the academy, he was seriously injured and finished his courses from the hospital bed)
"The struggle I had made to graduate taught me a great lesson - that it is by struggle that we progress. I learned concentration during that time I never thought I possessed"

Washington Irving said:
"For my part, I endeavor to take things as they come: with cheerfulness, and when I cannot get a dinner to suit my taste, I endeavor to get a taste to suit my dinner."

Hope you guys are having a good day.

Tagged

2008-11-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

For what it's worth:

8 Things I am looking forward to:
- Finishing the Marie Antoinette Dress
- Finishing Rachel's quilt
- The return of a more cheerful attitude (I've been such a grouch this weekend)
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8 Things on my wish list
- See item #3 on last list, if I could get that back, I could answer this.
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8 T.V shows I like to watch
- Exteme Makeover - Home Edition
- The Biggest Loser
- MacGyver
- A-Team
- Mission Impossible
Have I aged myself yet?
- 30 Minute Meals
Honestly, the first two are the only ones I watch consistently, I'm more of a movie watcher then a T.V. Show watcher

8 Things that happened yesterday
- Woke-up
- 30 - 45 minute tangent on a subject that I am highly allergic to and why I should see someone about that
- Read
- Showered and got dressed for church
- Reviewed the Sunday School lesson (just in case the teacher who's suppose to teach today doesn't show)
- Convinced my anxiety ridden personality to leave the SS lesson manual home. "Give me a break sister, he's always shown up to teach his lesson. Will you just chill out!!!!!"
- Went to church and enjoyed it immensely
- Chill pill wore off and ended the day on another tirade (shaking head, some people!!! - ie:ME)

Now I'm suppose to "tag" 8 additional people, but having forced you to read such a bad attitude tag post, I will just end with a sincerely apologize that I didn't just erase my entries and say Hi.

(Sheesh, this is what happens when some people don't stay in their room where they grounded themselves)

Sewing Update:

2008-10-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, just so you don't think I haven't been sewing this week, I have. Actually last night would be the only night I haven't touched the project. I had enrichment to prepare for and go to. So there's my excuse. Tuesday night was spent cutting out the last remaining pattern pieces and fabrics. Wednesday was a lesson in underlining and overlay. Attaching the underlining to the bodice pieces, and then overlaying the lace pieces to the skirt and bodice. Fun Fun. Lace is such a delicate fabric, it's always interesting to see how well it can stay in place. I do like how it looks against the satin. Very cool.

After attaching the different fabric pieces, I sewed the skirt seams together. I figured with limited time, the skirt would give me a fast win. Let me just tell you, that is alot of skirt. Oh boy is it going to be fun to gather.

I don't have pictures cause I don't have a camera anymore. Sorry, it's being borrowed by a photographer who needs it up for some mountain pictures. Hopefully I get it back in time for the finished product.

So how are we doing? Well I'm not entirely sure. It's quick and simple in theory, but the actually doing? Well their is just so many little steps you have to take to insure it looks nice. So who knows. I don't think I'm aiming for Halloween. Mainly because just looking at the different pieces, even if I finish in time for Halloween, the dress will need a professional pressing job. Talk about wrinkled!

Oh well, just taking it one step at a time and really trying not to dread the steps still left to do.

Day Two

2008-10-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

A Sewing Confession:
Now the first confession was I'm a terrible project procrastinator. Now the second confession is when I sew, I like to wear a baseball cap backwards. It keeps my hair out of my face and helps me focus. It's not the most attractive look, but I always feel in the sewing/designing groove when I place the cap on.

It's Monday Night and after making a couple of alterations to the pattern (only needed 1" of length, not two, and shortened the shoulder length a little.) I began cutting out the fabrics. First the lace, then the satin. I had to cut the bodice pieces twice - one for the fabric and the other for the lining. I still have a third time, cause it requires underlining.

Now it may not look like it, but cutting out the pattern pieces takes a long time.

I'm getting kind of tired, but I still have the skirt pieces.

Oh, boy. What do you do when the pattern piece is so big, not all of it fits on the table?
Start pinning one side and roll as you go.

Another question: How do you know when it's time to quit?

When you run out of pins?

Guess Not

How about when there is definitely no room on the cutting table for the last skirt pattern?

Nope, just keep rolling.
(By the way, my sewing professor taught me to never let the fabric hang over the table when I am trying to cut out pattern pieces. Oops, well I've already broken my #1 rule about not sewing after 7p.m. What's another one?)

So when do you stop?

Well, when you get to the top of the last pattern needing pinning and find you're 1 1/2 inches short of fabric and will have to unpin the whole thing and re-adjust everything.

Ya, that's when it's time to walk away girl
just let it go and go to bed.

Two weeks till Halloween ... So do you think I'll make it .. I've got my doubts

2008-10-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not entirely sure, but I believe my first mistake was opening up the envelope and pulling out the instructions. Labor Day weekend, my Aunt and Uncle brought their daughter up to BYU. And with them came 20 yards of fabric and request to make a costume for my cousin. She's always wanted a dress in this style. (think Marie Antoinette) and they got an awesome deal on the fabric. So would I? Now in all fairness, I was forewarned before they arrived and I thought, there is no way I can sew a costume at this time, every Saturday in September is booked. I'm really busy. And when I was shown the pattern (not the one shown in picture) I really knew I couldn't do it. It called for 20 yards of fabric, and it had huge "walk through doors sideways" hips. You know the style. And the instructions didn't make sense at all, Hook and eyes in the front and laces in the back?? Ok, going for authentic are we? Can you start to see how I got pulled into it. Yep, I started analzing how it could be done differently and easily and ... I should of known I was getting into trouble when I went online and found a McCalls pattern that was the same style but so much simpler.
Now I only have two weeks left, I knew if I didn't get it started today, I would never make it by Halloween. Even now, with two weeks, it's a big question mark. I knew my cousin was long in the torso so I added 2" to the length of the bodice pieces. I wanted to make sure the bodice fit, and also to make sure the neckline wasn't too low. So I cut the bodice pieces out of muslim to make a fitting shell.

As I was sewing this together, I kept saying, it's a costume, it's a costume, don't over anaylze, or try to make it completely perfect. It's a costume, it's ok if it's not completely perfect. So I'm posting today's results. Not very far, considering what I have ahead of me. Oh, well she knows I may not get it done in time for Halloween, so I shouldn't be stressed for time. Except having it around for a month already, I don't want to have it hanging over my head for another month. I'll try to keep you updated with the process. Hopefully it will make me stay on track.

Anyway, getting the bodice done will be the hardest part, right??? it has the most details, the rest should be pretty straight forward ..... I hope

Oh why didn't I stick to my "no" answer, I'm sure I said "there wasn't any possible way" at least 5 or 6 times. The problem was I was saying it to them, next time I should say it to myself and then DON'T OPEN THE ENVEOPLE!!!!!

A Little Purse for a Little Miss

2008-10-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

I tried out a new crochet pattern a couple of weeks ago. I worked this up in a couple of hours. It was fun, although I expected it to turn out bigger then it did. It's size is about perfect for a 2-4 year old girl. It reminds me of a strawberry.

The Last Post for the evening, I promice....

2008-09-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

See what happens when a person decides to wait on posting about all the interesting things happening. She stays up late trying to catch up before she forgets everything. So just one more tidbit and then I'm off to bed.

Last week, my boss asked if I would be willing to be interviewed by a reporter from KSL radio. Of course, I looked at him like he was nuts and asked why would a reporter be interested in talking to me. Well it seems, he was coming to talk to my boss about credit card debt and was wanting stories of people who paid off their credit card debt.

So there you go, pay off your credit cards and you may just find yourself not only being published but also interviewed by a news reporter. Me? well, I just hope I didn't sound too stupid. Sadly I was too nervous to remember to ask when the interview might be broadcast, so I can't even tell you if it was or wasn't. Oh, well so much for my 15 seconds of fame.

A Whirlwind Creative Binge

2008-09-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Now I bet you are thinking this is going to be another sewing post? Well, considering who's doing the writing, it would be a pretty good guess but not this post. I had plans to attack a couple of sewing projects with an October deadline, but instead I went a little crazy in the kitchen.

It all started with the shopping trip to the grocery store when I was hungry. I had to pick up a couple of items for a dessert I was going to make for dinner on Sunday. When I got home I had groceries for homemade spring rolls, fried rice, trifle, and tarts. And I almost got all of it done too. The Trifle was for Sunday's dessert, so the cake and pudding got made first. I then started on the fried rice. While the rice was cooking, I chopped up all the ingredients for the spring roll filling. Two hours later, I had quite a dinner prepared. Now if only I had someone to eat it with. Turns out that night I was all on my own. Oh well, it was fun getting out my Japaneses dishes and setting the table. Sorry no chop sticks, I couldn't use them if I had any.

I hadn't gotten around to starting the tarts, so after dinner I mixed up some pie crust. About this time, I was exhausted. The filling, which was going to be lemon, wasn't doing so well, and I couldn't get any energy up to fix it. So I wrapped up the pie crust and put it in the frig and threw the filling out, (trust me there was no saving it). Then I crashed on the couch and ended up going to bed at 8:00 p.m. cause I was soooo tired.

Hopefully in the next day or so I'll have pictures of pie tarts. I will say that recipe I used for the spring rolls certainly make up a lot. Three days, three meals and it looks like I still have enough left for one for meal.

My Very First Sewing Machine

2008-09-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

A week ago, my dear friend, Danyelle came to visit and after dinner on Friday night, we went over to JoAnns Fabric Store to look at sewing machines. I had told her that I had been seriously thinking of getting one, so she convinced me to go in and take a look at the Vikings. Now I'm a lousy shopper. I really don't like talking to sales people, mainly cause I never know what to ask them. I just like to look around, see if they have what I'm looking for and then buy or not depending on if it's worth it to me. Lucky, Danyelle isn't that way, so with her nudging occasionally, I was able to find out about one of the machines. Now since I had been thinking about it for awhile, I had a pretty good idea of what type of machine I was looking for. So after talking, we left, I liked the machine, but I knew of another store that was having a super sale on their machines and the one I had my eye on was $200 dollars less, not as many functions, but enough for me. So Saturday afternoon, instead of driving up to the store, I decided to first call and see if it was really what I wanted. And it was a good thing, cause they had sold the one I was interested in. So after more deliberation and my mom assuring me that I wasn't a spendthrift, (she's my sounding board for this type of purchases) we went down to the store.

It a mechanical sewing machine rather then a computerized. I did not want computerized. I wanted straightforward and simple. I do a lot of sewing but use very few stitches outside of straight and zig zag so I knew I didn't need all the bells and whistles. Along with that I didn't want to keep track of a lot of fancy feet. That's why this model works so well for me. It only had about 8 different feet, including the three I always use. What really sold me was it's one step buttonhole. I prefer basic techniques but when it comes to button holes, the easier and less steps involved is what I like. That would probably be my one luxury item.

Once I got home, I pulled out the owners manual, reviewed it and immediately pulled out a project to sew.

It's a Crochet hook carrier, made from a place mat. Really nifty and now I have a place to put my crochet needles.

So there it is, after years of sewing and at least 5 years of serious sewing, I finally have my very own sewing machine. I keep joking about naming it but can't come up with any Viking names I like. The closest female name is Vilhelmiina. What do you think? ;)

Twins!!!!

2008-09-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

My mom's serger cover was looking pretty shabby, basically it had a big whole in the top and was doing little to protect the serger from dust. The sewing machine didn't even have a cover, it just had a towel that was put over it. So one night I decided to see what I could come up with. The sewing machine pattern was one I found on the Internet and the serger pattern, well I just pulled the old one apart and used it as a pattern. Not too bad, even if it is a little pink. Does a better job then the old ones. As you can tell from the patchwork, I like different fabrics, colors and prints. I thought it looked more interesting with three different fabrics then it did with just one or two.

I'm a reader not a blogger

2008-09-19T05:17:00.001-07:00

Sorry guys, just not very good at blogging, even though I look at everyone elses blogs on a daily basis. I'm going to try to do better. I've been doing some sewing so I just need to get pictures. You know, I think if I would blog more I would realize I am not so boring as I seem to think I'm these days. Just a thought that came to me. So this is to let you know I am think of being more communicable (now that doesn't sound good, more like I have a nice cold to pass around) ;) My nose has been a little stuffy these days ....... just kidding

Catching up.....

2008-09-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

So how does one explain not posting anything for over a month? All I can say is, I've been working so hard that I haven't had the energy to sit down and say anything. I've finished working my part time job. It's such a relief to be back to one job, only 40 hours a week, and Saturdays free to do as I choose.

Finishing out August with the second job was a real struggle. Every week, I would look at the calendar and feel like September would never get here. But it did, and it was worth it. I met all the financial goals I had set for myself, last January. Because of the rap New Year's resolutions get, I decided that of all my goals I wanted to accomplish, I would choose just one that I wanted to accomplish in 2008. I wouldn't worry about any of the the rest, if I succeeded at meeting them then they would just be icing but paying off all my debts except my student loans was what I really wanted to accomplish. And I did. Funny thing, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I felt more when I paid off my last credit card in July. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about it but in a calmer, less emotional way. Of course, I'm not letting this milestone go uncelebrated. How did I celebrate? Well I spent three hours at the spa being pampered and generally de-stressed. All those knots I spent the last 8 months putting into my neck and shoulders... All gone!!!!!

Now with other news:

Labor Day Weekend was spent fighting a sore throat virus. Thankfully I caught it in time so it didn't knock me out too much. I watched a lot of movies and worked a lot on a couple of projects.. which was my plans anyway, I just wanted to do it with more energy. ;)

One of the projects was an embroidery design I created myself. I read an article about using snapshots to create custom embroidery. My sister-in-law had taken a cute picture of her boys and sent it to me a few months back. I really liked it and thought of it when I read this article. So I decided to try my hand at it. I really like how it turned out. It's just basic but still really cool. Her birthday was in August so I figured it would make a good birthday present. ... Tired of all the talk yet? Want to see what it looks like?
Brothers Reading is what I'm affectionately call it. The real question is how long before I start another one for myself?

Well those are the highlights. There are a ton of other stuff, I just can't remember them right now. Oh well. Have a good weekend.

More Bags and Some Embroidery

2008-08-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Just so you don't think I have been neglecting my sewing habit, here a few small items I've been working on. The red bag is a small drawstring clutch. It works perfectly for Sundays when I don't want to carry a large purse along with everything else I have to take with me. It fits the essentials just great too.
It's called a Japanese Origami Style Purse. It's made from a square and then folded and sewn into it's current style. Just a hint though - make sure your square is a true square when you sew the two pieces together. Otherwise you've got to get creative, and fudge a little. I actually like the strip of lining that shows on the side ;)
http://www.amitymama.com/vb/sew-along/233248-sewalong-japanese-origami-style-purse.html

I've been really interested in embroidery lately and have wanted to get back into it. It's been years since I've done any of it. so I found this cute pattern on www.patternbee.com . Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to make out of it. A pillow, a tote bag, a wall hanging, a quilt ...????? I just don't know. Any ideas?

Now it's kind of hard to see, but this is a nice little zipper bag. I made it up last night and it was so easy and quick. I used a rectangular piece of linen. I really love how it turned out.
I got this idea from Amy Karol's book "Bend the Rules Sewing" http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/ She has some cute ideas and great advice. Although I did use some "Lazy Girl Design" sewing techniques from Joan Hawley at www.lazygirldesigns.com

I've been collecting so many ideas and patterns lately, that I've decided to challenge myself to work through them on a weekly (ok, it may be more like monthly) basis and see what I can come up with.

Flowers

2008-08-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

These are what greet me every morning and evening when I'm leaving and coming from work.

I especially love this patch of the flower garden. I love how all the flowers are mixed in with each other and you just have this explosion of shapes, sizes and color.

Storage Storage Storage

2008-07-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Well I feel very boring these days. I keep looking at my post and silently yelling in my head, "What? nothing new! Come on Amy you've got to have something you can post" Well here is what I've got, ... for what it's worth.

I have a ton of sewing stuff, as many of you know. I also am a licensed cosmetologist and keep all my supplies in a large plastic tub. This gets pulled out every time I have to do a perm. I have to dig through so much that for a while I've been keeping my eye out for a better storage container. A few years ago around Christmas, my mom asked what I would like and being frustrated with the current arrange of my perming rods, I told her, "Storage drawers to hold my hair supplies. I'm tired of digging into this tub every time I need something". And being the wonderful mother that she is, I got myself a wonderful set of drawers,- two narrow on top with two huge on bottom. It was perfect ..... for my sewing supplies and fabric ;) Mom's response, "Hey, didn't I get that so you could use it for your perm rods, curling irons, coloring ... stuff?"

"Yes, but see it's so much more perfect for patterns, sewing doodads, odds and ends and fabric ... stuff."

So once again both of us began keeping an eye open for a better storage solution. Well, two weeks ago I came across a 5- drawer cart at Big Lots. And it looked perfect. The drawers were just the right size to separate perm rod sizes. So of course, .. I walked away. It wasn't part of the budget... blah blah blah.. Anyway, I would have to think about it and really decide if I needed it.

Last Saturday after work, I finally decided I was going to buy it and stop thinking so much ... if it was still there. So I did and it was and then it happened. After I brought it in to the house, I made the mistake of setting it down next to a pile of fabric and sewing doodads. (shaking head now) Thankfully, I didn't have time to do anything but put a few sewing items in one of the drawers. I went to visit with family and eat dinner. Later that evening after everyone had gone, I came in and the injustice of the last "sewing storage drawer steal" was so strong that I pulled everything out and got the hair supplies, and proceeded to fill the drawers with perm rods, end papers, bobby pins, etc. And it really looked good, so good that the pile of sewing stuff was told it would just have to wait and be content with file boxes.

Now that's not all. Being in a organizing frame of mind, I showed my mom and she told me of a storage cart that she had seen at Costco that may work for me. So Monday after work, both of us went and I stared at it and wondered and decided "What the the hey" let's just see how it works." So two storage carts in 3 days. This one had a metal frame work and small plastic drawers that were different colors - blue, red, orange, purple, white, and green. cool huh! So of course that could only mean one use - color coordinate my scraps and put them in each drawer. And the design was better suited for my sewing stuff, because the metal frame work matched a shelving unit I have for my boxes of fabric, yarn, and patterns.

Now we shall see if I can get some pictures to work. Now these aren't the exact units I got, but close enough. Right?

Top Unit - drawer sizes are more close to the hair supply drawers

Middle Unit - Arrange and general look, just visualize 5 drawers the same size as the first picture - Now when I set up my hair cutting corner I have a cart to wheel around for working with.

Last Unit (Sewing)- same brand - mine has ten drawers instead of twenty. Although now that I've seen this one, it's mighty tempting because with the size of those drawers, it won't take long for my scraps to push out of them. But at $80.00 I can just sew more and organize less. (My 10 drawer version only cost $20.00, I might just go back for a second one... of course where either one is going to fit is another question) Ya, sew more, organize less.... good plan

I'm Back ....

2008-07-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

from a week vacation with the family in the mountains. It was our year for a family reunion and we went camping. I almost didn't make it, so many different things kept coming up right up to "the car is packed and I'm headed out, just stopping by the ATM to get some spending money." Only it eats my card, just takes it and does nothing. I had to wait around for an hour and half till the bank opened so I could order a new card and withdraw the cash. While I waited I had a great opportunity to practice keeping one's temper. ;)

This is what I learned from the experience:
1) If the ATM doesn't give your card back, it never will. You are going to have to order yourself a new one. (Knowing that could have saved me an hour and half.)
2) $0.99 cent word-find puzzles, usually found at the cash register of stores, are the best investment ever. I bought that little book a year ago and it has come in so handy at doctors appointments, concerts, plays, .... Anytime I find myself waiting I pull that out and start working on a puzzle. This time it helped keep me from completely losing my temper and bursting into tears from shear frustration.
3) That intersection is nice and quiet from 7-8:30 in the morning. It has a very calming influence ... that is until you look back at the stupid machine that refuses to give you back your card. Suggestion to the people who program such machines, how about having a message that says, "WINNER!!!! Your card has randomly been chosen to not be returned to you. It will be held until the next service of this machine and then destroyed. You will need to call up your banking representative and order a new one. Sitting around, staring, mutter and pushing the cancel button will not induce this machine to give you back your card. Have a nice day!"

A Difficult Decision to be Made

2008-07-10T10:16:00.001-07:00

I have the option of ordering a jacket with my work's emblem on it and I'm stuck between these two options:

The Fleece only comes in pink, which I'm ok with, although I would like Navy. The fleece is cozy and more casual. Fleece isn't as sturdy as the other jacket, which could be good if I change jobs in the next two years or so. ( Which isn't in the plans)

The regular jacket would be a navy blue, it has a detachable hood. I like it cause it has a more professional look to it, good for the office setting, and it looks pretty sturdy.

Decisions, decisions - Both are about the same, the regular jacket only being a few dollars more.

So which one do you think I should get?

And would someone please tell me how to post pictures properly, this refusal to do as I wish is getting annoying..

Here it is: No Return Address by: Amy A. Marble

2008-07-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, I am excited to get my credit card bill in the mail. I impatiently looked for it every day last week. When it did arrive, I excitedly opened it, looked it over and then put it in my purse.

Why would anyone in their right mind be excited about getting their credit card bill? Isn’t that something to dread? Not this month! You see, today’s bill will be the last of monthly reminders of:

· Emergencies and non-emergencies that came up over the years, always adding to the balance.
· Medical and dental visits that had to be paid for with the card that was “insurance” for those who didn’t have insurance.
· “You deserve it, you’ve been so good this month” shopping sprees.
· “I don’t have the cash for this but I really need it” purchases.
· “There’s this really good sale, just put it on the card; you can always pay if off next month.”
· Cash advances – “I’m not actually using the card itself, and there’s only a $5 fee” stupidity that led to a 24 percent interest rate on three-quarters of the current balance. And the small print that stated the purchases balance at 11 percent would continue to accrue interest until the cash advance balance was paid off.
· Why I got the second credit card – balance transfers. It solves the problem of the 24 percent interest rate, right? Only it didn’t, all it did was transfer a small amount, and spread limited funds over two monthly bills.

Today also marks the end of:

· Months where only the minimum payment was made because it was all I could afford.
· Years of telling myself, “Next month, I’ll do better.”
· Years of envying the stories I heard about those who paid off their debt, and wondering when I would ever be able to.
· Two years of intense focusing on paying off the credit cards, only to find after a year, I had made little progress. It hadn’t grown but neither had it diminished. Disgusted, I approached the second year with a more determined and obsessive focus.
· Six months of methodically recording, in a form I created, the monthly interest, payments, charges (I only made two) and the current balance. Then comparing my schedule with the one PowerPay® came up with, I would strategize how I could beat PowerPay®’s schedule, if only by one month.

Now I’m not here to argue the advantages or disadvantages of credit cards. I just wanted to try to put into words the overwhelming feeling that came over me as I wrote out the check that paid off the last of my credit card debt. I was shaking, wanting to cry and remembering all the hard work, sacrifices, stupidity and failures I had experienced that got me to this day. So often, I was looking toward the goal’s end; months, years away, but today, I felt the long-awaited feeling that here and now is the winning of one battle. The bell has rung, and I am the one left standing, tired and shaken, but still the winner.

Sealing the envelope, I noticed the company had changed the design. They no longer provided a place for my return address. How fitting! No longer will a credit card bill show up at my address, demanding I attend to it before anything else. Next month there will be other debt to tackle, but today, I will breathe deep the fresh air and enjoy the view from this part of the mountain I have been climbing and pray I never have to climb it again.

Exciting News

2008-07-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

I had a post all written up and ready to go. I liked it so much I dared to print it for my boss to read. He liked it so much, he suggested we submit it to a few different locations and see if they won't add it to their newsletter, bulletin, ... newspaper!!! So we shall see what tomorrow brings, until I know what exactly we are going to do with it, I am waiting to post it. Sorry if this puts a few of you on pins and needles to know what it was all about. It's very exciting and I will let you know what happens. All I know is when I left work, our office manager was also reading it (and she's had a newspaper column before) so hopefully I get some good feedback.

This one's a keeper ......

2008-06-24T05:08:00.000-07:00

And let me tell you, it was much easier sewing this then trying to a) use a digital camera to take a picture and 2) get it posted on the blog (the way I wanted it to look). Which is why the pictures are at the top, with the back first. So annoying!!!!!

So third purse and I finally get one I like. Denim and Red is my color scheme. I wanted a purse I could take camping, which is why denim made the most sense. Now with denim, it frays rather nicely so then I could leave the seam allowances on the outside of the purse, eliminating the bulk of turning the seams to the inside. Now if my seams are going to show and fray, I wanted a color and fabric that would really look good frayed with the denim. So I chose the solid red fabric that is used for the small pocket and straps and lining. The only print is the top portion of the front and it came from a small scrap. What's amazing is I didn't purposely try to make it centered, when I folded it and sewed it into place, the horizontal print just naturally centered itself that way. (Now that's what I call a quality woven print and a bit a luck)

It's funny how the whole design came together when I sat down to sew. Last Wednesday night, I pulled out the fabric I had chosen. I had several zippers I was trying to match up with and had originally planned on a red zipper with red stitching, but the white zipper just looked better. So to pull the white in, I decided to use white thread for all the stitching.

The pocket is another lazy technique, it's hard to see in the pictures, but I left the edges to fray as well. Lazy, because I just cut a rectangle piece of fabric, folded it in half, top stitched the fold and centered it on the front of the purse. After it was pinned on, using chalk, I marked the "v" line at the bottom and then sewed it on. After it was sewn, I cut off the corners and it too has a cool frayed edge.

Now the back of the purse has a pocket, which I call the "Book pocket" cause it's the perfect size for a paperback. Because of how good the front pocket turned out, I decided to do the same "swish" and leave it.

Sorry for all the sewing details, but I just love how this turned out. As each step was finished, I could feel myself getting more excited with the project. And when it was done, I hung it from a hook in my room so I could just look at it. Vain? I don't think so, it's more the fun of creating something that just speaks to me. That's why I love sewing so much. It's the same pattern as the other two purses, but fabric, color and my own tweaks makes this purse stand out as the one for me. Now I feel like I can move onto a different pattern, .... except Mom liked this one so much that she's already picked out fabric for me to make her one. Well .... maybe just one more.... she is my mom after all ;)

Oh, my goodness, either the spell check isn't working or I just wrote my very first perfectly spelled post. Now that's something to celebrate..... oh wait.... perfectly spelled just the wrong words. Oh well, lucky for me, perfect is not what I was going for.

Book Review

2008-06-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

"The Ordinary Princess" - M.M. Kaye

"All across the kingdom, excitement is running high: a seventh princess, always the luckiest and most beautiful of all, has just been born to good King Huldebrand and Her Magesty Queen Rodehesia. When the christening day arrives, Her Serene and Royal Highness Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne is showered with the most extravagant, marvelous presents imaginable - until her last, most powerful fairy godmother proclaims, "You shall be Ordinary!"

I love this story of the "Ordinary Princess" and her adventures. And this is just a few reasons why:
1) Out of seven names, her first is Amethyst, which happens to also be my birthstone
2) If that wasn't anymore identifying, because she is "Ordinary", no one called her by her "Grand Name" she was called ..... Amy!!!!!!
3) The illustrations are wonderful, pencil drawings with lots of detail. One of my favorite would be when "Old Crustacea" the fairy whose gift made her Ordinary, shows up to the christening. She's the "fairy-in-charge-of-water" and because of traffic she's late, dried out and rather cranky because of it. Her body language and facial expression is so reminiscent of how I've felt after being stuck in traffic, in my un-air conditioned car in the middle of July's 100 degree weather.
4) There is a small hut in the forest......
5) And lastly the following excerpts just spoke to me, Can you guess why?:

At the wedding of the last sister to get married before it's her turn she looks at the "prince" her sister is marrying and thinks "He may be very good looking, but I'm sure that he has never giggled one good giggle in his life!" Later that day she's lamenting what is sure to be her lot in life to marry "a very handsome husband with no sense of humor!"

Part of a later conversation: "I was only thinking what silly names some people have, Why, I should like to know, can't more people have nice, sensible names like Amy"
-----
Now you don't have to take my word for it (why am I all of a sudden having Reading Rainbow flashbacks) but if you need a cute, whimsical un-ordinary fairy tale about an Ordinary Princess, this would be my recommendation.

Books

2008-06-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

Two Saturdays ago, I dusted off the bookcase and pulled all my favorite books from their boxes.

Interviewer: How does it look?

Interviewee: Really comforting

ER: How long did it take:

EE: A few hours

ER: Why? Do you own that many books?

EE: I don't think so, but I might. It was because I kept getting distracting with this book and then that one, and remember this scene, and where is that favorite quote of mine..... You can't rush old and dear friends getting reacquainted after being apart for so long.

Shall I introduce you to a few:

Grace Livingston Hill - I own 24 of her books, which surprised me. I knew I had a few but not that many. I started reading her as a teenager and all these years later, her books have kept their charm no matter how many times I've read them.

The Mystery of the Derelict by John G. Rowe - Nautical adventure - a deserted ship in the middle of the ocean, a mysterious code on a stone, shipwrecked sailors, deserted island, pirates, treasure - I could be wrong, but I can't help wondering if this book wasn't what started the whole love for adventures on the high seas. I own two copies of it cause the original was starting to fall apart, and I just couldn't bare losing any part of the story.

Jules Verne -more adventures, found bookmarks still inside the pages of a few of the books. Now there are number that I like, but Around the World in Eighty Days and Michael Strogoff have the most points for repeat reading. I can remember as a teenager, my favorite author was Jane Austen, with Jules Verne as a close second, taking first as I got older.

Jane Austen - Honorary mention, because as a teenager I read all her books, now own all of them in either hard or paperback versions, own a number of the movies, generally opinionated regarding her and others interpretation of her writing, and even came across a picture of her I use to have hanging on the wall of my bedroom as a teenager. That being said, it's been awhile since I last read any of her books.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett : I read this every year around March and April. It's my way of greeting Spring. As I read how Sarah Lennox discovers the garden and how it starts to come alive, I run outside to see if I can see spring coming and I always feel the magic.

Now if you're excuse me, all this talk of books and authors has made me hungry for the taste of a good book. Which one shall I choose?

Happy Reading

Special Places that have encouraged Self-expression and Imagination

2008-05-29T09:09:00.001-07:00

aka: Amy's Rambling again, Mom

(Settle back, this is going to be a long one)

When I was around 6-8 years old, I asked for a club/play house for Christmas. My older brother, Joseph, kindly accommodated that request and created the framework of a house. I can only remember it as framed, which makes me think it never got completely finished. Funny thing, I was quite happy with what I had. I remember makeshift walls and ceiling from blankets and odds and ends of plywood. I remember make believe adventures with brothers and sisters. Mostly, I remember I had my very own clubhouse.

In another place we lived, my play house tendencies continued and my sisters, brother and I would use the old camper shell. I remember cleaning it out and trying to nail discarded molding to the counter edges that were rough. Oh, the slivers that camper gave.

I remember the house in Moroni, Utah. The three of us girls shared a room on the top floor. At that time I really wanted a cedar chest. I believed any self respecting bedroom had to have a cedar chest at the foot of the bed. Since I didn't have one, I improvised with boxes and a blanket to cover them. Christmas that year brought me a cedar chest.

I remember the apartment in Salt Lake City that I shared with Danyelle and Christy, my first college roommates. It was rectangular shaped. The front door opened into the front room. It was huge with one wall of windows that opened on to a wonderful view of the brick building next door. From the front room a hall ran the full length of the apartment with closets lining one side and doors opening up to the kitchen and the bathroom, finally ending at the bedroom. Late one night, the phone was ringing in the front room. I had been sleeping and wasn't fully awake as I walked down the hall to answer it. I can remember bouncing off the walls as I sleepily zigzagged to the phone. The caller was a bit taken back when they were greeted with "This had better be good" rather then "Hello". Our bathroom was green and white. I want to say a lime green or something similar, and I loved it. It was different. The light switch was in the hallway. Boy that was fun! With 3 girls and one bedroom, my closet was two of the ones in the hallway. When the doors were open, it would take up the full width of the hall. Even when there were only two of us, I still kept my closets in the hallway. When we first moved in, I slept on the couch in the front room, and quickly realized I got the better deal. You see it was summer and our only cooling system was a swamp cooler located in the front room. While I slept comfortably the other two baked.... that is until one of them couldn't take it any longer and would crank the thing to its full force, then I would freeze.

Then there was Cell Block 5: That is what I called my dorm room I had during the semester I spent out in Virginia. Right before I left I found they had cancelled all my arrangements including my housing. After straighting out that mess, they gave me what was left. One of the rooms in the basement that had never been used except to hold storage. As I opened the door to Room 5, the place I would call home for the next 4 months, I was greeted with dust and dirt and darkness and the smell of hastily painted walls. Across from the door was my one window: multi-paned and it showed an overgrown window well with grating covering the top of it. "Welcome to Cell Block 5 was my first thought. All the furniture was stacked in the center of the room. It took most of a Saturday scrubbing everything with hot soapy water, and then arranging the furniture, before I felt I could safely rest there. After a couple of nights, I bought myself two items that were absolutely necessary, if I was to remain there, a small fan that sat on the chair and cooled me off (no cooling system and we are talking East Coast humidity in the middle of August). The second item was a plastic bed covering, cause friends, I was not alone in that bed. To think all this time I thought "Don't let the bed bugs bite" was just a funny saying. With all that I grew to love that room. Every morning I would wake up and look from my pillow at my "tree" in the window well. The dew would glisten off the leaves and I would fill peace and excitement for the new day. It was a sad moment (and I felt personally violated) when I came back from class one day and found the grounds keeper had completely cleaned the window well. Nothing was left but freshly turned dirt. It resembled a cell block even more with just the cinder blocks to look at. I thought about planting flowers but didn't want to risk the grounds keeper's ire.

Now if you've read the last post, you already know about my shed. I've just got quirky tastes and I love them. What's next, you might ask. I don't know, but lately I have started saving the last pages of the "This Old House" Magazine. It's where they advertise an old house with lots of history and character that needs someone to renovate it and return it to it's former glory. Between the picture and the $1.00 price tag, I can't help imagining...... So who knows, in a few years one of them could be mine, unless of course a lighthouse comes up for sale.

Trying to regain a Special Place

2008-05-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I spent organizing my shed. During the winter it became a catch-all for all my boxes and excess furniture. With the weather getting nice and rumors of family invasions for the next few months, I decided I better organize it into a workable space. That way I can lay out sewing projects without having to clean up the mess. Funny isn't it, you try to be creative and all others see is there is no safe place to step or sit in the Family Room. Shocking I know. ;)

So Saturday was spent sifting and sorting and by the end of it, I was pretty discouraged. Too much stuff!!! How did this place become more of a storage shed then Amy's Secret Hideaway. Monday morning I attacked with renewed vigour and some peppy music. This time I forced myself to go through every box and really look at what was in it. So much paper!!!!! The boxes got sorted into subject matters, Sewing, Cosmetology, Books, etc.... Thankfully the fun subjects had more in it then the boring regular stuff. Then when I put it back into boxes, the boxes got labeled. I had no idea I had two file boxes worth of just "office supplies" stuff, papers, files etc. Who knew I was such a sucker for office supply stores? ... Ok I did, there just so many cool ways to organize yourself.... but no more shopping until I've used what I already have.

That goes for fabric too. One wall has shelves on it just for fabric boxes. And I still had 2 boxes of fabric, with no place to go.... oh wait that's four boxes cause of the two that got brought into the house for my purse projects. AHHHHHHHHH Believe it or not I haven't been into a fabric store for at least 7 months. And I won't be until I've made a serious dent in my fabric stash. There's just no more room.

6 hours later and it was looking good, it still had a storage shed look with boxes lining all my walls, but my two tables were generally clear, .... clear enough to work on at least. And my reading chair was clear and nicely positioned. I even tried it out later that evening. So nice to sit and read, tucked away from the rest of the world.

Once upon a time (ok a couple of years ago) I had that shed set up really nicely. There are shelves (only about 6" wide) that are scattered on two of the walls. They are perfect for my books. And I had my whole library arranged by subject and authors. On this shelf was my nautical adventures, another, my juvenile lit., my romance, ones guaranteed to make me laugh every time, non-fiction.... etc. The third wall, next to the door has shelves that held my filing boxes (and all of them fit on that one wall) and the fourth wall has a windows that ran the length of it with a counter beneath it.

I was thinking of how it use to look, while I sat in my chair that night and thought, "How do I make it look like that again". Even now I am seriously contemplating taking the "storage" stuff and putting it on one side of my bedroom. It's not like I spend alot of time in there anyway and I really want to get my books out of the boxes I put them in last year, when I thought I was moving. Who knows maybe another weekend I will. Of course, I can always take my books back into the house and put them on the bookshelf I have in my bedroom..... Doesn't seem to have the same ambiance. I blame it on my reading of the Boxcar Children as a child, teenager... ok I read them now. Which reminds me, where has that set of mine been put?

Playing with Fabric

2008-05-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! I've been having fun with fabric and sewing. My current sewing interest is purses and I found a great web page with cute purses. They are called Lazy Girl Designs. http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/ I ordered three patterns to get started with. The two pictured are Wonder Wallet and Runaround Bag. They are fun and easy to sew. The Blue, Yellow and Green combination was the first one I did. I think it needs a fun yellow flower on the front. The wonder wallets are so great. They really do fit all my cards and cash. The Coin pocket is really cool too.

I didn't buy anything, just used what I had in my fabric stash. This really made things fun because I have too much fabric sitting around and love it when I can use it.

Funny thing is, as soon as I got them made, I started thinking of who I could give them to. For me the fun part is creating. So Sunday, we had a visit from my brother and his family. So I brought them out and asked if his two girls would like to have the purses (I kept the wallets). They did, although Anna opened it up, looked inside and looking disappointed, said, "There's nothing in it".

Thankfully, Aunt Emily came to the rescue and had some candy they could put in them. I make it, she fills it.

Of course, I've got ideas to make one for myself. I just wonder how many I will make before I find one that is "just right".

Explanation on the Thought

2008-05-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

In responding to Amy's Comment, I found the explanation was getting longer then a comment should be, so here it is as a post.

I was thinking a number of things
1) I was working on the computer and decided to take a short-cut with the program I was working. Instead of making things easier it caused a whole lot of time consuming difficulties to get back to were I was before the shortcut.

2) Later, I was working on a sewing project, and instead of following the directions I kept wanting to do it my way. The problem with learning so much about sewing is the added knowledge can get in the way of sewing. Thankfully, the pattern is quite forgiving and it still turned out really nice, although there is one small spot that I haven't fixed, cause it's a good remind to keep things simple.

Which leads up to
3) as I was thinking over the last couple of days, I was reminded of an instance as a teenager. The short story: I had a great idea about sliding on snow. You see when you try to slide on snow with regular shoes, the tread slows you down and you don't slide smoothly. So my bright idea was slippers have no tread so they would probably make great sliders. Ya... well if you know what happened next then you've got more common sense then I did. You see, about the time I hit that "gleaming snow patch" was when I had the thought that this might not be a good idea. Which was confirmed as I went airborne and landed on my face in the snow.

So those were my thoughts. Any addition examples would be great to hear about.

Just a thought

2008-05-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those days where you think you're being so smart and sneaky about something only to discover maybe you weren't?

Bad News Good News

2008-05-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Good News - Family Bar-B-Que
Bad News - My car died in the Wal-Mart parking lot where I stopped to pick up my food assignment and 2 quarts of oil (Car engine was sounding rough)
Good News - My brother was just down the street, so he came by and checked it out
Bad News - 2 quarts of oil only filled it 3/4 of the way.... ouch .... and the car still wouldn't start
Good News - My brother was equally clueless on what was wrong with it
Bad News - Dead car - unfamiliar town - 80 miles from home - no $ for towing
Good News - Family Bar-B-Que was fun and delicious
Bad News - Tired, long day, wish I could get in my car and go home .... oh wait it's still dead
Good News - An awesome brother-in-law (who knows cars) and brothers, and sister who went down to see what they could come up with. .... They Got it started ..... Yippee
Bad News - You may need a new starter....
Good News - At least it wasn't dead from lack of oil ;)
Bad News - A worrisome drive home .... what to do, what is that sound, repair $$$ questions
Good News - Made it with no incidence
Bad News - Car died as I was backing into the drive-way
Good News - Another awesome sister pushed me the rest of the way into the drive way (Aren't big families great, there is usually someone around to help)
Bad News - Week schedule is too busy to do anything about the car now, will need to walk or beg for rides
Good News - Kindness abounds and I got a ride to work, and it was a lovely day to walk home
Bad News - Had to call for someone to pick me up 4 blocks from home, cause a I had dog following me for most of the way and wouldn't go away. I couldn't take the chance of it knowing where I lived.
Good News - Dad made the call and our friendly neighborhood mechanic came by and replaced the starter for free
Bad News - The car still wouldn't start
Good News - Discovered the problem was some wires had been disconnected so he reconnected them and the car started.
Bad News - Car is running but I discovered the next day that the windshield wipers don't. I think a couple of wires got crossed.....
Good News - Nice sunny day, will make sure those wires get taken care of this weekend
Bad News - This morning and into the afternoon there have been dark clouds and wind
Good News - An hour away from quiting time and the sun seems to have come out. Here's hoping it holds

Sounds in an Office

2008-05-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

The walls are thin

Clicking of the keys on a keyboard

A pop and a hiss as soda pop can is opened

Squeaky chair

Distant conversation down the hall

Doors opening

Walking on carpet that is sensed more then heard

Indistinct sounds - books being shuffled around the desk?

A Chair being rolled on the carpet

Boxes scooted on the floor

Objects being shifted on a counter

----

Funny, five minutes and no phones

Certainly a quiet afternoon

A slow day

2008-05-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Came across this comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes and had a strong desire to follow suit.

GRE - Testing more then just intelligence

2008-05-05T16:11:00.001-07:00

Well, Saturday marked the first day of classes for my GRE Prep Course. I've been rather intimidated with the prospect of taking the GRE and what it means. Well, we got an hour's introduction regarding what to expect and then the rest of the time was set apart for a pre-test to determine where we are, weaknesses vs. strengths.

So how did I do?

Well, let's just say it's a good thing I decided to take the course before paying money to take the GRE and have my scores count. On the one hand, there wasn't any surprises. The test is made up of three sections, I summarize them as Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. In technical term, they are "Verbal & Reading Comprehension; Analytical Writing; and Quantitative Analysis.

So strength, Verbal & Reading Comprehension. That wasn't surprising considering my bookwormish tendencies since I learned to read. I'm always trying to challenge myself with reading, and usally have a book somewhere near my person.

Weakness: Math: Now I know I'm not very good with numbers but can I ask you, did the program have to be insulting about it. Really! How the test goes is if you answer a question correctly, the next question would be harder and if you answer it incorrectly, the next one is easier. So image how offended I was when the silly thing asked me what 2+2 was. Rude!!!!! Ok they may not have been that bad but how about this "There's this graph showing sales over a 10 year period, how many years did sales increase". Hmmm. Let's see, the line goes up 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 times." How insulting! It didn't help to read in my text book, "These are content areas usually studied in high school" High School!!!! - Why didn't they just have that annoying paperclip from Microsoft word jump up and mock me after I finished that portion of the test?

Now if Verbal/Reading was a "pat on the back" and Math got my "dander up", then Writing put "me to shame". You see we weren't required to write the two essays, because there would be no one to read and grade it. But we can practice if we want to. So I looked at both topics and "shamefully jumped ship". I skipped both of them. And like "Lord Jim" I've carried the shame of my decision with me, ever since. (like how I slipped int he literature reference, told you I read alot). Afterwards, I gave myself a serious lecture about not letting writing intimidate me. And to make sure I don't run from it again, I will practice writing an essay, using the topics given me, everyday. Well, mmmm, let's just say it sounds great in theory but I seem to still be running. But this has got to stop.........

Repeat after me : I can and will write! I will show that program a thing or two about Math! and I will love do it! And I won't get cocky about the verbal section. Got It? Let's hope so..... I mean Yes, Ma'm, Captain, sir!!!!

Older siblings beware!

2008-05-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

I love my nieces and nephews. They are so much fun. A few weeks ago, My sister-in-law, and I planned a trip to the zoo with her two boys. "Grandma" came along for the fun. The boys are three year old and 10 months old. And as most older siblings go, (J) can be quite the bully to his younger brother (C). Saturday morning we were getting the boys dressed, and big brother stepped on the little guy's fingers. (J) got a firm lecture and told how he needed to be nicer to his brother. As I was comforting (C), I couldn't help wondering how tough the little guy was going to get if he didn't learn to walk soon. At least then he might have a better chance of defending himself.

On the way to and from the zoo, I rode in the back with the two boys. On the way (C) fell asleep and I got to run interference with (J), who thought it would be funny to wake (C) up by poking or grabbing the little guy's pacifier. What a toad! Anyway, the zoo was wonderful and we were all very tired, especially the adults and we all hoped both boys would fall asleep, but again only one of them did. This time it was (J) and I got to keep the little guy occupied cause he isn't too fond of his car seat. And it was only coincidence that the little guy kept throwing his bottle on his brother's side of the car. Well, in the split-second my attention got distracted elsewhere, sleeping brother's head felled forward and out went (C)'s hand and grabbed a fist full of hair. Hehehehe, Yes, little guy got a lecture about not pulling his brother's hair but I'm afraid I was chuckling to much to make it sound firm. And it didn't help me stop chuckling with (C) growling at me because I wouldn't let him grab his brother's hair again. I guess the little guy isn't as defenseless I thought.

Now, that's not the end of my story... the next day, I was at a family get-together and had my niece (S) on my lap. It was (S)'s 7th birthday and we were sitting reading a book with a few of the other kids standing around me. (S) got a little bored and started pretending to fall off my lap and then I would catch her. Well, the last time, I let her slowly fall to the ground. Both of us were laughing, when I felt her younger sister (A) tugging at my sleeve. I turned to see what she wanted and she said, "Thank you, Now I get to sit on your lap." Hehehehe oh, boy, (A) isn't yet 4 and she's thanking me for pushing her sister onto the floor. Well just so she didn't think I purposely pushed her sister off, I made room for both of them.

So older sibling beware, just because you were born first, doesn't mean, the younger set won't find some way to challenge the age old response "Because I'm older, that's why."

A beginner blogger gets started.....

2008-05-01T10:25:00.001-07:00

Well it looks like I'm blogging whether I know what I'm doing or not. With two of you checking to see what I've got going on I guess I need to just write. Believe it or not I've written a number of posts but they never made it past my critiquing and the backspace ;) So here goes:

I rebelled against the turn in cold weather last night by removing my winter quilt from my bed. It has worked well all winter but I needed spring. So out went the solid green colored down quilt and in came the purple cotton with a lovely floral print. And I froze.... ok not exactly cause being the avid sewing that I am, my room abounds with back-up blankets. So I covered up with a second blanket and slept rather well, .... as long as I didn't move too much.

Besides the sense of spring the quilt brings into my room, I am also very excited to lounge on my bed once more. You see, although a down quilt keeps a body warm, it is also quite poky. I didn't realize how poky until I tried reading a book while lounging on my bed. I couldn't get past the first paragraph before I had to move to a chair. Well what do you expect from a $30.00 quilt.

With the skies grey and the chilly wind picking up, I may have to wear my winter coat but at least my bed looks bright and cheery and at night, well I can always throw another blanket on the pile.

Quote from Miss Potter

2008-04-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

"Stories don't always end where their authors intended. But there is joy in following them, wherever they take us." - Beatrix Potter