Catching Up...

So it's been an exciting 2 weeks... a wedding, a new job, etc. But first, my 401(k) has only lost about 9.8% of its value since the end of August - OY! Still painful...but I am only 26, and this is the start of retirement funds for me...so I will not panic!

So anywho... as we were driving to Oktoberfest at Alpine Village on Saturday night, I realized I had neglected to tell some tales from my previous weekend back in Lincoln for my friend Abbie's wedding to Steve... Including the fact that my borrowed car from my mom's hubby Rob ended up being covered in cow shit/pee right before it went to said wedding. I guess a big semi trailer full of cows and their bodily emissions turned a corner too sharly, and everything slopped out besides the cows. So there were literally cars ahead of Rob sliding thru the shit/pee mess on the road. Thankfully, Rob, being the good guy he is, didn't want to inflict any of the smell torture on my in my fine clothes, and washed the car before he got home, whence I took off to pick up my friend Meryt. As Meryt & I drove back to her place, we stopped to pick up her baby & the dog from the babysitters. She asked if it was OK to have the dog in the car, and I giggled, saying that since the car was literally covered in shit earlier today, I didn't think the dog in the backseat was a big deal.

Yep, missed telling him that story... I got the hoo-hoo laugh out of him. :)

Last week, I also finished the project from hell - the Christmas tree skirt I started making last year in a class. I had shown up late for the class - who woulda thought I would be working until 8pm on a Friday?? Not I... So I got 2/3 of the piecing done in the class, tried to finish it at home, and got the measurements wrong. Still thought I would get it done relatively early in 2008, so I bought new fabrics for the final 1/3 over Christmas...and didn't touch them again until last week. I think I just want Christmas time to be here. And since the cat puked over the non-washable tree skirt last year (which we just had to pitch), I needed to get this done to ensure I would have a tree skirt this year. So I finished it off last week, and the thing is a monster - something like 54" across (haven't measured), and it was a bitch to sew the backing on - all the turning on the points, coupled with the circular design = not so fun sewing! But finally, it is done... and it is machine-washable. :-D I will post a photo later.

Last week, Steve & I went to Disneyland on Friday just for the novelty of it. It wasn't too crowded, although probably more than it should have been since the day was so nice. Friday night we watched more Freaks & Geeks, and the Big Lebowski. I had received it in from Netflix prior to going to Lincoln, so I had to laugh to see an article in my bro's Rolling Stone about the now cult classic film. Steve really enjoyed it (once again, the never smoked pot people really enjoying the stone movies/shows), and I drifted in & out as I was re-reading one of the Twilight books.

I started my new job yesterday as an accounting manager. So far, so good - you know, 1 1/2 days into it. But the people are super nice, and I have an office! What a trade - more pay, good hours, an office (not just 2 filing cabinet drawers to call my own). And I'm on a mission to bring my lunch to work, which shouldn't be too difficult to achieve. The closest decent place within a mile is Subway, and since I don't really like Subway, my plan is realistic. Good luck to me!

Ok, gotta leave my lunch break now (in my office). :)

Meet Sammy

This is Sammy, the little Mustang owned by friends of ours (co-worker of Steve). He is stabled up in Palos Verdes, and I go up on the weekends to ride along the trails up there. Steve sometimes goes w/me to either run or hike (today was hiking), so that Sammy has a "horse" to follow. Sammy is no leader horse, he likes to follow.

He's pretty short - I'm only 5'5", and I don't have an issue reaching the top of his back. And he can't really get his head up too high for me either.

See his cool "tattoo"??

Riding a trail - I look pretty big on top of him, don't I?? It's cuz he's so little!

Freaks & Geeks - part 2

Remember I babbled on about Freaks & Geeks? They had a whole Freeks & Geeks alum category on Jeopardy today, and I rocked it all! All contestants were afraid of the category, which was rightly deserved - they biffed it up.

It's done!

It's done...my couch quilt is done! It measures approximately 40"x60" and really didn't involve any significant piecing, but it's done! Fabrics include some cream colored black toille print, black & white gingham, and polka dot binding. The back is all gingham. My stippling is pretty bad, herky-jerky, and probably too small/tight. And I cheated on the binding - i just sewed it all on, but it's done. :) And here is my living room in humble little apartment. All photos on the back wall are mine, except for 2 hubby took (which are smaller). But I think it looks pretty good, and the new pillow covers for the pillows are awesome too!

PS - the quilt is perfect to sit under right now - its a fairly cool night (67), and great for curling up to watch TV and admire my craftiness. :)

Another bag...

This bag was done a while ago for stepmom Donna, but I keep forgetting to post up the picture of it. This is the only bag I've done w/pattern fabric on the "patches" on the corners. So I'm totally into the solid/print combo thing of the other bags. However, I put the zippers going opposite directions, so that's the flaw on this bag.

Sunday, Sunday

So Sunday.... ran out of thread stippling the couch quilt, so need to go buy some today.

And I'm officially old...I wasn't really amused by the MTV VMA's last night. I found Russell Brand to be very obnoxious. Hmmm... now what do I watch?? Oh yeah:

Steve & I have been watching Freaks & Geeks on DVD from Netflix. I knew when it started that a lot of the guys in it were part of Judd Apatow's crew from Knocked Up & Superbad (and Pineapple Express, which we have yet to see)...but was suprised to see Linda Cardellini as the main character (now she's on ER, strange career twist). Steve was suprised to see all of those guys together. We do have great affection for Jason Segal, since How I Met Your Mother is one of our most favorite shows. :) Anywho, we're going thru the DVDs at a fairly slow pace, but are really enjoying them. I don't think we'll watch any tonight, since Gossip Girl is on, which I'm sort of obsessed with. :)

Redneck Cat Carrier

Sylvester has been dying to get inside this box for a while now, so when I finally emptied it of its cans, I called him over and he hopped in right away. But all I could think when he got inside was "this looks like a redneck cat carrier."

Radar is giving Syl the stink eye cuz Syl is having more fun than he is (you can't have fun w/out 'Dar's permission).

Baby Bib - Never Again!

I followed the tutorial at Crazy Mom Quilts very loosely for this bib. By loosely, I mean that I didn't realize I should have just stippled the pieces in recentangle format, then cut out of the pattern. I, of course, did it the hard way - cut the pieces of the pattern, then stippled. And I decided not to make a snap for the neck - I just wanted a tie back.

Then came the binding...using 1/4" premade binding (too lazy to attempt to make some, plus not sure what fabric I would have used). See "Death by Pins" below...

Then came time to put on the binding around the inner neck - what a disaster! This is the reason I won't be doing this again - at least, not in this manner. I couldn't get it to go on straight, I kept missing the fabric w/my stitches, etc. etc. WAY TOO much work for such a little bib. I think I like the idea of turning the fabrics, and just using a snap/velcro to keep the ends together. You could still stipple after turning the fabric...

Final result - pretty decent stipple (but it is really small, so that's why I think it works). Two sided - notice the yucky dimply curved inner binding, contrasting nicely with the pretty outside binding.

*sigh* I just love that airplane fabric though :)

Sewvester

My little helper Sylvester becomes "Sewvester": He LOVES my little chair I sit on when I use my machine, and never hesitates to hop up when I abandon the chair to press seams, etc.

I almost forgot...

My new clock:My first time using Mod Podge. :)

Crafty Update

I've been busy with these:Stuff for Baby Girl Rademacher (clockwise from top left):
1) shaggy quilt (which I didn't really have fun making, I may not do this again);
2) girly tote w/helicopters, airplanes, rockets (Branden is getting his PhD in Aerospace engineering, and complains its hard to find girly things w/airplanes on them - so I think I succeeded in meeting his challenge with fabric from Purl);
3) gift package - tote, blanket, and the requisite copy of Fox in Socks; and
4) inside fabric of tote (red w/cream stars) and shaggy quilt.

Hopefully I will also get a bib made with the fun fabric the tote is made of.

I'm also trying to free-motion quilt Miranda's Baby #2 quilt...

...with limited success... I can't get the needle to stop breaking - or its skipping too much. Hmmm... I think I need to take a class...

And this was pretty fun to make (about an hour) - now I just need to find some more cute dish towels:The pattern was in the August 2008 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting.

I'm weak...

...can't stop reading the spoiled Midnight Sun...reading the version released from Stephanie Meyer's website.

Twilight is over...

...actually, I was done reading Twilight on Saturday. So now I'm a more fun person now that I've stopped being sucked into young adult books about vampires & werewolves (which I apparently can't say properly in my Nebraska accent...).

But I'm super excited to see the movie, so I need to get someone to read the books so they can be excited with me! :)

So in looking at the Wiki for the Twilight books, I discover that there is supposed to be complementary book written called Midnight Sun. However, part of it has been leaked on the internet, and it appears to have killed Stephanie Meyer's motivation. This makes me really sad. Based on the first chapter, which she released on her website, I think it will be a really good read... Boo!