Thursday, July 31, 2008

I'm on a Roll...

Seriously! Three - count 'em - THREE finished objects in ONE week. (And "they" said I never finish anything.) After the sewing machine fiasco, I got inspired to break out some other unfinished bags and move them from the "to do" bin to the "Ta Da!" (done) pile. I don't have pictures taken yet - no time to take pictures when you're busy stitching - but TRUST me when I say, there are three bags hanging from the desk in my craft room. I'll post pictures soon, but for now, I'm on a roll....

Sunday, July 27, 2008

There's Joy in the 'Boro!

I'm back from "the 'Boro" after a whirlwind weekend. My dear friend Joy did a concert at my parents church so we went down to support her. I didn't take any video but here's a snipit of her with my choir a few years ago. Hope you enjoy. Go to iTunes and buy her stuff. You won't be disappointed. 

Thursday, July 24, 2008

A Rant About a @#$% Sewing Machine

It should have been an easy project - just adding some 3/4" grosgrain ribbon to the inside of the handles of a bag I finished crocheting. You know - a little something "extra" to finish it off nicely. Should is the operative word here. I'm here to tell you that nothing (do you hear me? Nothing!) sends me over the edge, makes me cuss like a sailor, drives me to drink copious amounts of wine, than my dang sewing machine! Apparently, I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader because this little bit of straight line sewing kicked my proverbial arse! 


First, there was the bobbin. Oh, the bobbin. The @#$%^&* bobbin! (I could sew if it weren't for the bobbin, but I digress.) You see, I wanted to use this shiny, hot pink for the top thread and a really cool transparent (clear) for the bobbin thread - so the bobbin thread wouldn't show through on the outside of the bag. Um. Not. In. This. Lifetime.

This is just some of the thread I wasted in my multiple attempts to wind my bobbin. (Why didn't I have an interest in sewing while my grandmother was living? Why!) If nothing, I'm persistent. I refuse to be licked by a heap of cheap plastic. (Translated: I wound, unwound, rewound - not with one color, but with three! Hot Pink. Clear. Light Pink.)

These are the handles after much fussin', cussin' and general "un-christian-like" behavior. I didn't get a close up shot because I didn't want you to see how crooked my "straight" stitching was. UGH!

This is the (still) unfinished bag. I will HAND stitch the handles onto the bag. I will hand stitch my label into the bag. And I will never try to do this on my sewing machine again. 

I. Do. Solemnly. Swear. (So help me, God.)

Or, maybe I should just take a sewing lesson? What do you think?

 

Monday, July 14, 2008

Ah...Summer!

If it weren't for the sweltering heat, the oppressive humidity and the total lack of rain, I would really, REALLY love summer. Don't get me wrong, it's WAY better than winter. (Though in winter you can put on extra clothes to stay warm. There is an acceptable limit to the amount of clothes you can remove in the summer and still be "presentable." I'm just sayin'. ) Any who, I thought I show you what I've been doing on my summer vacation (insert hysterical laughter here since I've actually had no vacation to speak of...)

I present to you my hydrangeas. Bask in their splendor.....




And this was after the "first cutting." I've given some to friends and I'm on my third week/vase full of blooms. What's left now is covered with spider webs and those of you who know me know that I don't do spiders. (There's that unfortunate incident while learning to drive when I found one crawling across my skirt and I, uh, let go of the steering wheel. Riiiight. We won't mention that one again.) 

I also went to the Deeper Still women's conference at Phillips Arena with 19,000 of my closest friends. It was great fun with wonderful teachers (Priscilla Schirer, Beth Moore and Kay Arthur). If you have one coming to a town near you I highly recommend it - if you can still get tickets. Here's the only picture I took - the place was packed to the rafters with women. Our church had a "party suite" complete with leather recliners - one of which I promptly procured for myself the first night. 

Check out my "pretty little cupcakes all in a row..." 

That was Punkin's idea and I, being the obliging mother that I am, had to assist in baking them. They're presently cooling and awaiting a covering of Better Crocker vanilla frosting directly from the can, 'cause that's how I roll. 

Speaking of rolling, that's what I'll be doing after I eat these. You'll have to roll my fat arse right out of the kitchen! Oh well, just another sacrifice for the children. :) 

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Long Time, No See!

Well, it's been awhile since I last posted (like...more than a month) and you might be wondering what I've been up to. Well, I've been playing on Facebook. I know it sounds sad and desperate, but I've found LOTS of people who I used go to school with (both high school and college) and others that I've just lost touch with over the years. Remarkable, really, that it takes something like Facebook to get people to connect.

I've also been taking classes at the Apple store to REALLY learn how to use my iMac. Check it out....



I made this video of the Punkin leaning to ride her bike. I took the video/pics with my digital camera and edited it all together using iMovie. Why did I wait SO long to get a Mac? 

On the knitting front, I did finish the Harlot Socks but haven't taken any pics. I'm working on another pair of "plain" socks and I still have the fancy Embossed Leaves pair that I'm almost halfway through. Other than that, it's just too hot to knit. I'm already stashing away some projects for the fall, though.

My big project at the Death Star has (finally) kicked in so I'm thinking that I'll probably need to do a lot of knitting this fall just to stay sane. I've also decided to train for The Weather Channel Half Marathon on Thanksgiving - that'll help to manage the stress from work. I'll keep you posted on that progress, too. 

Much more to come...