A week of favorite things

Red Things

Christmas things and an end-of-year wrap up

I hope all of you have had a really good 2007 and are looking forward to 2008 as much as I am. 2008 promises to be a year of big changes!

I'm still sewing like mad on my new machine. I have made so many things (especially those little travel bags) that I have lost count. I finally got around to putting in the elastic in my pj pants I made for Blair and myself for Christmas. Matching pjs...a new Christmas tradition (which promises to be much cuter a few years from now when I have little ones to make them for also).

2007 has been a year of lessons learned (hopefully). Even just today Blair learned to look at every piece of laundry he does before he puts it in the machine. He accidentally felted one of his favorite sweaters. On the plus side, it fits me like a dream!!

I hope you all have a great News Year's Eve. See you in the next year!!

See Ya Later

Blair and I are leaving for his parents' home tomorrow and will be gone until later in the weekend.  I hope you all have a relaxing and enjoyable rest of the week!!

Fun Times Sewing

My mom got me a Sewing Book (Last Minute Gifts) for Christmas. I have already made the square bag and two of these. These are my favorite. They are so fast and fun to make. I see many of them in the near future.

Self-Portrait Tuesday

It is not only once again Self-Portrait Tuesday, but also CHRISTMAS!! So Happy Christmas to all of you and yours.

Yes, I am still unashamedly taking pictures of my hair...my naturally untidy hair. Actually, it looks pretty good today, so I thought I'd make it my SPT pic.

Here are some of the things that have been going on around here.

I made this hat for Blair for Christmas ( I also made another one in green for M). The pattern came from Knitty.

This little guy's name is Sheldon. I found this pattern on Knitty and decided to make it for Karen. He's so cute (he also now has embroidered eyes).

This is my FAVORITE gift from Blair this year. A sewing machine! I now longer have to drive to my mom's house to sew and hope that I have everything when I get there. I have already made a few small projects as I get to know my new friend.

Corners of my Home

Now that the phone company has actually been to my house our internet is working perfectly. Turns out we had no filter, and to top it off, the phone jack we had the internet cable plugged into didn't actually work. Go Figure.

Now for corners of my home. I did a little bit of wall redecorating for Blair for Christmas. We're both pretty pleased with it.

Self-Portrait Tuesday

Now that our internet is back up, I can go ahead with Self-Portrait Tuesday.

It's been a long time since my hair was long enough to do this. I think the last time my hair was braided was when I was in Hansel and Gretel. Very exciting!

No Internet

Two-and-a-half weeks later, and still no internet to call my own! I'm using the library's internet to do this...

Corners of my Home

This post is going to have to go without pictures, so I want all of you to go out today and take a picture of your favorite corner and do your own Corners of my Home post.

Fraud

That's right...I am now a fraud victim. Somehow my debit card number wound up in Maryland the other day and was used to make some LARGE purchases. It has been easy enough to sort out, thankfully, but I still would rather not have to do it again!

Our internet is still down at home, so I'm not sure if I'll make the Corners of My Home post tomorrow or not. Very sad, indeed...

Self-Portrait Tuesday

This is my hand engaging in one of my (current) favorite activities. Knitting. It's so relaxing and rewarding, not to mention the joy people feel when they receive a hand-made gift. Go make something today!

A Reelfoot Saturday

Blair and I went to Reelfoot Lake Saturday to watch the day get its start. After a few missed turns and a couple of towns, we made it! Although it was a rainy day, it was great to get a start in the quiet that is nature.

Paying It Forward

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on this post requesting to join this Pay it Forward Exchange. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. So basically, if you comment, you’re on. I’ll send you something crafty that I’ll make for you. Once you sign up, copy and paste this paragraph on your blog, and three other lucky people will be recipients of your handmade work.

Now, if the first three people who reply are Blair, Mom, and Dad...I'll have to go with the second set of three (especially seeing as to how Mom and Dad don't have blogs).

Changes around here

Just in case you didn't notice, I made some big changes to the blog last night. I've been wanting to do it for a while, but just got around to it. The Banner at the top is courtesy of some of the fun toys over at Flickr. These are some of my favorite of this year's Christmas photos I've taken so far.

Blair and I started the day with breakfast together for the third day in a row. I like it, he likes it, the dogs like it...I see a new morning routine in the making. The boys and I have nothing to do today until 3:30, so I think we'll have a very relaxing day (with a little cleaning thrown in).

Even with yesterday's Shop updates I still have some work left to do on a couple of items. Maybe something will sell for once. We shall see.

I almost posted this without a picture!


Owl Moon is one of my favorite winter books. Go read yours today!

More Etsy Updates

Corners of my Home

Yet another blogging idea from the amazing Amanda Soule. This is called Corners of my Home. Each Thursday I will try to post a picture of some corner, nook, or favorite spots around my home. Here is today's corner (which really isn't so much a corner as it is the top of my piano). My favorite is actually the blurry black-and-white. It makes me smile!


These are a few of my Christmas decorations. Hope you are enjoying yours!!

Today's Thrifting Finds

I had a little free time this afternoon and decided it would be best spent thrifting. I stayed for only 30 minutes and got some GREAT finds!!
First, this really cool aqua-teal-blue mug. I know I have lots of mugs already, but I figure one can never have too many mugs, right? I also seem to have an addiction to all things aqua-teal-blue and all things, well, mug. I know it needs some cleaning up...that's why it's in the dishwasher and not my hand at the current point in time.

Now, on to more fun, yummy, thrifty finds.

I got all of these skirts for $2 a piece! I'm especially proud of the brown tweed skirt. It still had the original price tag of $45 on it. (Please ignore the hideous brown carpet.)


This is my favorite of all the skirts. It's long and warm and green and tweed (another favorite of mine, especially in the cold, or supposedly cold, times of year). I feel like everyone's favorite kindergarten teacher in it!


I also got these great sheets and table cloths that I intend to cut into skirts when I have a sewing machine.

I think these two will make great skirts and bags.


You can't really tell in this photo, but the color is a gorgeous gold.


And here, a green table cloth with a built in border for a very cute skirt-to-be!!


Hope you enjoyed looking at my finds as much as I enjoyed finding them!!

A Breakfast Date

This morning Blair and I had a breakfast date...I had half of a grapefruit and he had an apple. Very nutritious, I know. But since we rarely see each other before 4:00 in the afternoon, I thought we'd start the day by, gasp, actually spending time together! Who knew it was possible anymore?

It's now the time of year (my favorite by the way--when will it be cold?) that we can get out the Christmas mugs!! I'm enjoying vanilla caramel truffle tea with a little Sugar in the Raw. Blair's mom gave it to me because she didn't like it (which was due largely to the fact that she wasn't making it properly, but why should I have said anything?). It's absolutely wonderful! Have a cup of tea and enjoy the day, everyone!!

Self-Portrait Tuesday and other musings

I've borrowed the idea from one of the blogs I read daily to do a "self-portrait Tuesday." These are pictures of me, either old or new, that provide some insight into my world. Today's self-portrait is of me in my pj's (yes, still, at 8:20 on a Tuesday morning). I love these pj pants. They're so warm, so soft, so cozy. I slip into these as soon as possible most evenings and just enjoy being home in them.

In unrelated thoughts, I have been feeling rather crafty of late. A feeling which has been hampered, sadly, by the lack of a sewing machine. So many ideas and designs floating around my already too-cramped brain. I'm afraid I'll lose them forever to forgetfulness. I have so many lovely plans for my dear little Etsy shop. My little shop with its many admirers and compliments and no purchases. I don't quite know how to handle this seemingly failed brain-child of mine. It's hard for someone who has a do-it-yourself-and-get-it-done-right type personality to put out a project whose success is completely independent of said person's actions. The success of my little store is in the hands of others (and in my mind, a dangerous place to be, indeed!). I don't do well with failure (very few people do, I imagine). All I can do is wait patiently on that one person whose fancy is struck by my imagination...

Etsy Updates

I made several updates this evening at the store. I have one big update left to do, but that will probably come later this week. Go have a look!

I should be a plumber....no, really, I should

This morning the toilet wouldn't flush, I know, very sad story. Apparently Blair was aware of this new development in the Toilet Saga, due to the evidence he left behind. I knew this couldn't last all day, so I took the lid off of the tank and investigated. Never having seen the inside of a toilet tank before I was not totally sure for what I was searching. After a few jigglings of the handle, I noticed it was not attached to anything. I decided that was probably odd and so further continued my searching of the tank. I saw a chain loose in the bottom and mused to my very attentive helper, Murray Mermelmann, that it probably should not have been lose. I walked into the next room and got out my handy tool set and removed a 13 inch long crochet hook. With my tool in hand, I walked back to the tank and commenced the fishing-out of the chain. I pulled briefly on it to see what would happen and was rather pleasantly surprised that it was attached to an apparatus that lifted and released the water from the tank. I then attached the chain to the lever coming from the handle, and flushed again just to make sure I had properly attached everything. I then replaced the lid and thoroughly washed my hands for several minutes. I do, indeed, think I have the makings of a top-notch plumber.

The past few days

Have all been exhausting!! Between the travel and being sick I have had very little energy. I did, however spend much time over the past couple of days getting ready for an Etsy update. I have made several books, and I have alot of stationary items to post. I've taken the pictures, I just need to crop and adjust them.

I made my first felted scarf from roving today. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I wasn't sure about the colors at first, but after the felting they really melted together really well!
(Ask me why I didn't retake this picture...I can't tell you!)


The long picture I took of this was VERY blurry, and quite frankly, I'm too lazy to take another one, so please feel free to use your imagination!

One of those Moments

Do you ever have one of those moments when you just know what you need to do? Beyond a shadow of a doubt know? Well, for my entire life I have avoided education. People have always said I would be good at it, that it was what I needed to do. And for that very reason I avoided education in college. Well, now that I'm out of college I've started substitute teaching. All of it has been at the local elementary school. Today I just knew that if I didn't go into education I would be professionally miserable for the rest of my working life. It's like I have no choice but to go into education...it's what I'm called to and supposed to do. There's no avoiding it now. I just have to decided what to do about it.

I'm a slacker...again

I haven't blogged lately. I have been really busy, though. I cast on and finished my Socks for the Cure pink socks for Dee. I finished both of them in 5 days. I think that's a record. Unfortunately I don't have any pics right now. I have cast on for a skirt that I'm really excited about and that's my main project right now. I subbed for an Elementary P.E. teacher Monday and that was interesting!

Mice Stink

Yeah, so, we've now caught NINE mice in our apartment. Ridiculous!!!

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A little update...make that TEN!

More Fall Yummy-ness

With the continued cooler (and drearier) weather today I was still feeling the fall mood. I made these sugar cookies:



and applesauce:


and triple chocolate muffins (which are REALLY yummy):


Now, on a less (or not at all) yummy note, we have officially caught 6 baby mice, so we're hoping that's all of them.

Happy Autumn, everyone! Go bake something!

My Fall Decorations

Some of these (the wreath) I already had up. But, since I had the day at home, I decided to do some more extensive decorating.

Here are the decorations in front of the window (thanks Mom and Dad for the straw):


Here's my wreath on the front door:


I have these sitting by the steps inside:


This is the center piece on my dining table:


This is the center piece on top of the piano:


And this is everything on top of the piano:


I just felt like Fall today!

Funny "Life Sucks" Stuff

Blair and I wound up catching three baby mice last night when all was said and done. Still waiting to see if more are caught.

We went to a wedding in Franklin today. It was outside and gorgeous! We had a lot of fun chatting with Blair's friends from growing up. When we got home, Blair went upstairs to the bedroom to change. That's where Murray stays when we're gone, so when he said "Uh-Oh" I thought Murray had torn something up. So, I went upstairs preparing myself to see the damage. Blair was standing in front of his closet, looking at this:




The shelf in Blair's closet with ALL of his clothing on it had fallen off of the wall while we were gone. I can only imagine how startled Murray must have been!

More Mice Updates

We finally caught the mouse, as I mentioned yesterday. Tonight, I was doing the laundry while Blair was at the football game, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I looked and saw a little gray tail run behind the dryer!! I immediately put down a glue board and turned to get another. By the time I had turned back around, I had caught a mouse!! A BABY mouse!! The original mouse had babies in my apartment!! I now have two caught and at least one (maybe two) on the loose still!!

Mouse Update

we caught it!!

oh yeah...

we have yet ANOTHER mouse in the apartment!

The Many Things that have Happened

This will probably be a very long blog. To start, my mother-in-law was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She had an appointment with her doctor at Vanderbilt Friday, so Blair and I canceled our weekend anniversary plans and left at 7 in the morning for Nashville. The DeePhil had given us directions to the clinic ahead of time, and I had entered the address into my GPS. Now, in Nashville, many of the streets have North or South as part of the street name and that N or S is very very important. Somehow, the lady giving the DeePhil the address for the clinic gave them the right street number but the wrong compass direction. We wound up on Jefferson street. For those of you who don't know, Jefferson street is the last street in Nashville you want to wind up on. Blair called his parents to figure out what went wrong and his mom told us to "Get the H**l out of Dodge." We finally made it to the clinic, and Dee is going to have surgery on the 25. They're doing a lumpectomy. We then proceeded to camp out in the DeePhil's yard for three nights, while we listened to his brother rant and rave and had several locals ask when we were going to have children. We ended the weekend in Green Hills. We went to my favorite yarn store, Wild Oats (a new favorite), and the mall.

Yesterday, I subbed in a third grade class ( I actually TAUGHT 5 subjects) and had a great time.

I have a new FO off of my needles. It's a head wrap for those of us with long hair who don't want to wear a pony tail under a hat. I used the same yarn I used for the eyelet sweater I just finished, and I have enough left, that I'm going to make some gloves.

I think that covers pretty much all of it!

lots to catch up on

I know I have many much blogging to do, but I'm too tired to do it now. Today is mine and Blair's second anniversary and we just spent the past four days with his family. Lots to tell.

I just took this off my needles.

It only took a week, so it's a really quick knit. It fits like a dream and is SOOOOO SOFT!! It's a cropped, 3/4 lenghth sleeve and completely fantastic. I love this pattern!

I've been busy...I guess

So, surprise surprise, I haven't been working on my cardigan because I'm working on another, well, two other...alright alright...THREE other projects right now. I'm almost finished with two of them and will post pics when I'm done.

I invented a new recipe tonight...I think. I cooked two servings of penne pasta and added enough Italian Dressing to cover it, a hard boiled egg, cumin, and Italian seasoning. It's really really good, especially with a couple of slices of swiss cheese on the side. You should try it, all my little blog groupies!

Oops, I Did it Again..

Rather, I broke yet another needle on my mother's sewing machine. The last one she had. I got the wallet made to a really cute messenger bag I'm making and then started on the bag. I got absolutely no where. So I'm going to Wal-Mart tomorrow to get more needles.

I got started on a sweater for Stinky Pete yesterday. It's going to be really cute!

Amber Goodness

I don't know what it is, but there's just something comforting about a beautiful tea cup filled with the amber goodness that is tea. My parents bought some herbal tea for me on their trip, and I brewed a cup of it tonight. It was wonderful!




I've decided I really need someone to knit with. A sort of Sit n Stitch buddy...something to ponder...