Catch-Up!

I can’t believe I haven’t posted in almost a month!  I blog in my mind all the time…but my computer isn’t a mind reader yet so they haven’t actually made it to the ol’ blog.

Life has been super crazy.   Not like that’s a surprise.  So here’s what I’ve been up to:

I hosted a bachelorette party at the beach and an afternoon bridal tea on the same weekend.

My little – ok, younger – brother turned 24.  The next day he moved to GA to start training for his new government/law enforcement job.

I got a spray tan, and got my nails done for the first time.  My boss complimented them, and asked how I liked it – I said “My hands look like they belong to a grown up!”  She laughed, and reminded me that I am a grown up.  Oh yeah.  The spray tan was ok – it helped, but you could still see some tan lines.  Oh well!

I was the maid of honor in my best friends wedding!  More on this later…

Kristen and I took a trip yesterday to the farmer’s market and stocked up on fresh veggies…and butter mints!  Yum.

More to come soon, but for now I’m taking advantage of a lazy Sunday afternoon.  There are Everwood dvds to be watched, brownies to be eaten, and a baby hat to knit.

Project 365 – Weeks 11, 12, 13 and 14

So….this post was in my draft folder, and should have been posted in July 29th!  But, right before I clicked publish, I realized I copied a link incorrectly in my mosaic and had some duplicate pics.  And I promptly lost the will to continue on.  Brunch with Betsey this morning reminded me of how behind I was!  So – I fixed it up, and added week 14 to the mix.  Hopefully I’ll be back to only one or two weeks at a time soon.

the original post : I’m clearly not making my desired 2 posts per week here at the ol’ blog….but I  am keeping up with Project 365 – which is almost as hard!  So here, a brief look at my life in pictures.

Week 11 (7/4 – 7/10)

Week 11

71 – Had a very lazy 4th of July

72 – Melinda’s last day in Winston!  We spent it watching Eclipse, followed by Mexican food at El Sombrero.

73 – blocking the Clapotis I made Mom for Christmas! (I gave it to her on time, she gave it back for blocking last month.)

74 – Knit fabric for a skirt…I’m wishing for a serger.

75 – Happy Birthday Mom!

76 – whipped up a potholder for a Ravelry swap

77 – brunch with Betsey at Breakfast Too, Mary’s of Course!  I had a breakfast club: fried egg, bacon, and avacado with pesto mayo on honey wheat toast.  AMAZING.

Week 12 (7/11 – 7/17)

Week 12

78 – the essentials

79 – finally finished my Everyone Outta the Pool socks!  LOVE.

80 – Today was the last shawl class – mine blocked out just lovely.

81 – Um, I’m a little embarrassed that I reached into my purse for a chapstick at work….and pulled these out.  I don’t have a problem, or anything.

82 – A little lighting bug flew into my living room and landed on this flower wrapped around my floor lamp.

83 – Bamboo yarn in my new yarn bowl!

84 – making progress on Melody shawl #2.  Worked on it while viewing How to Train Your Dragon at the $2.50 movies with the little bro.

Week 13 (7/18 – 7/24)

Week 13

85 – New art for my living room! An Emily original. More on this later.

86 – A tiny scooter…signs of the new neighbors.  (3 little boys, aged 7 and under…)

87 – $5 quilt night – I ordered the fancy ruler to make a quilt with the blocks like the red/white one on the design wall.

88 – Spent the evening moving stuff onto the external hard drive, so my poor laptop can continue to function.

89 – $.99 pattern sale at Joann’s – I saved $149!

90 – Pawley was not amused by my sock knitting.

91 – Kristen came over and we cooked Indian food for dinner.  Yum.

Week 14  (7/25 – 7/31)

Week 14

92 – little bro turns 19!

93 – new twitter picture, taken after drinks with an old friend.

94 – Made these cards for 2 co-workers on their last day.

95 – Fresh blueberries!

96 – Finally hanging up my new painting.  lazy, lazy.

97 – taking down my hair after girls night out

98 – the pants-skirt!

tanlines….help!

I know I am woefully behind in my Project 365 updates.  However, I only have time for one post today….and well – I’m sure you’ll see this is much more important.

As evidenced by this photo from last Friday, I have a bizarre tan-line problem.

This is from a beach trip LAST September, in which I got a terrible burn.  Yeah – I cannot use the same SPF 15 that my friend Kayla uses.  But come on – it’s been almost a year!

The problem is: I’m in a wedding in a month and will be wearing a strapless dress. So I need to do something about this.  I’m heading to the beach this weekend and I have a strapless bathing suit, and I have already double checked that the SPF 50 is packed.  And I will be sure to stay covered because I don’t want to make it worse!

But – even if I tan a little, I am still going to be uneven.  You can’t tell in the above photo, but my shoulders look blotchy due to the haphazard application of what little sunscreen I had on.  So – advice?  I don’t like the idea of tanning booths, and I’m pretty sure if I try to apply self-tanner….well, it would be asking for trouble.

I’m thinking spray tan?  Has anyone ever had that done professionally?  I’m super pale, and I don’t mind…but I don’t want to look ridiculous standing next to my perfectly evenly tanned best friend in her wedding photos.  Please let me know if you have any ideas!

I’m headed off to the beach in a few with said best friend and the other bridesmaids for a bachelorette weekend.  I can’t wait!  Happy weekend, everyone!

What to do on a rainy Saturday:

1. Decide to clean your room.  Find a Back to the Future Marathon on tv and start rummaging through the dresser drawers.

2. Find a pair of Express pants, purchased at a consignment shop at least 4 years ago.  Tags are still on.

3. Try on pants.  They fit!  But, I’m not sure they are really my style….which is why they were wadded up in a drawer with the tags still on.  (How they survived at least 2 moves, I don’t know…well, ok- I’m a lazy packrat.)4. Cut the lower legs off the pants.

5. Use the scraps to check the tension on the sewing machine. One of the legs becomes a project bag for knitting! Already in use.

6. Decide they are not any better as cropped pants.  (Whoops, no picture of this.)  Remember this whipup tutorial for turning pants into a skirt.  Commence ripping of the inseam.

7. Suffer an iron related injury.  PSA: Do not lean over your ironing board to reach your scissors, leaving your sensitive inner arm exposed.

8. Sew up the new seams!  Rip them out, and sew them again to get rid of the weird wrinkle over the butt.

9. Wish desperately for a serger while zig-zag stitching the rapidly unraveling hem.

10. Face the iron again and pin down the hemline.  Catch up on an episode of White Collar via Hulu while hand-stitching the hem.

11. Take awkward photos of new skirt in bathroom mirror!!

12. Realize the bedroom is even messier than it was when I started.  Oh well.

7-21 WIP Wednesday

Wednesday is almost over, but I’m sneaking in a quick WIP Wednesday post anyway – even if you won’t read this ’til Thursday.  I’ve actually finished up a bunch of stuff lately too – perhaps an FO Friday is my future. Last night was $5 quilt night….so on Monday I was frantically sewing up my June squares.  And since I left all my supplies out – I went ahead and cut the pieces for the July squares last night, and sewed them up tonight.  It’ll feel nice to be prepared next month!

June and July Quilt Squares

I finally finished the purple cabled shawl – pictures soon! – so of course I had to start something else.  I dug some blue lace-weight out of the deep stash, and cast on for Laminaria over July 4 weekend.  I bought the yarn for this pattern over 2 years ago!  I finished the star charts and and partway through the transition.  I love it!  I recently bought a dress with blue accents that NEEDS this shawl….so hopefully I’ll stay motivated.

And of course, I’m never without socks.  I cast on for these last night and am almost ready for the heel.  This yarn is super soft – Panda Silk.

I’m also working on a Project 26 check in post.  I think there are things I haven’t blogged yet…which is unsurprising, given my recent lack of blogging.  (Dear work – please give me a break!)

Recipes!

Part of my Project 26 is making a new recipe once a month.  Ideally, this would be real food and could be combined with having people over.  So far, however, both months have been desserts. Still counts!

In May, I made these Pina Colada Caramel Crunchers from Hungry Girl to take to a little get together.  They were very quick and easy to make.  I followed the recipe with no changes, but I put them in mini cupcake tins instead of regular size – which I think was a good choice.  In all honesty, I didn’t love these.  I felt like the cereal part got a little soggy, and they weren’t really crunchy.  But I did like them, and everyone ate at least one.  I think the base recipe is good, and you could play with different flavors easily.

Project 26: May recipe

For June, I made these (ridiculously named) Freezylicious Strawberry Squares, also from Hungry Girl.  This I took to my parents for Father’s Day dessert.  It was a nice, light summer dessert.  Yes, I picked these partially because I need to use up the box of Caramel Delight Fiber One cereal left over from last month.  Again, this was good, but I didn’t love it.  My dad did love it though, which is what really mattered.  I did really like the way the crust turned out, and I’ll probably use that again.  (There is still a lot of cereal in my house, but I don’t typically eat it for breakfast.)  I think if it had more time in the freezer it would have been better – it thawed very quickly once cut.  In fact, I think that’s what I didn’t like – I could see myself making the filling again and just freezing it into popsicle molds or just eating it with a spoon.  My mom served the leftovers later and said it was better after a night in the freezer.  Also, I think I may have forgotten to add the vanilla, which would have cut the slight bitterness from the yogurt.  Oops.  And again, this could be made with several fruit flavors.

Project 26: June recipe

So, 2 down, 10 to go.  I have a stack of Everyday Foods magazines with several recipes bookmarked.  Maybe something more exciting for July.

Project 365 – Weeks 8, 9 & 10

Hi, it’s me – the worst blogger ever!  (Insert apologetic comment about non blogging/commenting here.)  I’ve been (as usual) crazy busy, and then I was on vacation, where blogging was not a priority.  Nor easy, since stealing wifi from my Grandma’s neighbors was the only (unreliable) connection.

But, 3 weeks of Project 365 will give a little update on life…perhaps I’ll have a real post soon!

Project 365 - Weeks 8, 9 and 10

Week 8 (6/13 – 6/19)

50 – shopping with Kayla = new sunglasses!

51 – still working on this shawl….so close

52 – Dogsitting for Velvet this week!

53 – I hate coming home to find a maintenance note in my apartment.  Why can’t they notify you when it’s filter changing time?

54 – Almost missed my $5 quilt class; remembered just in time.

55 – babysitting/coloring with Katie

56 – finally turned on the AC…whew.

Week 9 (6/20 – 6/26)

57 – Father’s Day!

58 – Am I the only one who buys the same (perfect!) dress in 2 colors?

59 – Sleepy, and looking a little ridiculous.

60 – still sleepy, and rocking the pencil bun at work.

61 – Purple ballet flats – $9!  (I heart Target.)

62 – night before vacation, and Emily is stung by a bee.  We think she’s maybe allergic!

63 – 12 hours in the car with Em.  Arrived NY right in the middle of cousin Megan’s graduation party.

Week 10 (6/27 – 7/3)

64 – Pizza night with the family at Grandma’s…the Village Pizza.  Yum.

65 – Em and I explored Port Ewan…and found this cute yarn store in someone’s house!

66 – Woodstock in the morning, then Emily gets her first tattoo.  And my 4th!  (Crossing Number 24 off Project 26!)

67 – A boat ride on the Rip Van Winkle, down the Hudson River.  Perfect weather.

68 – Car ride home – finished the whole body of this shawl while it was Em’s turn to drive.

69 – 2 finished shawls = a blocking party in my living room!

70 – My aloe plant lived through a month with no watering. nice.

Family and Father’s Day

Even though they make me crazy sometimes, I kind of lucked out in the family department.  I’ve got a good one.

Today, especially, I am grateful for my Dad. Even though he’s often one of the biggest crazy-making members of our family. Although I look just like my mother, my temperament comes right from my father. The things he does that makes me the craziest?  I find myself doing the same things. We overreact, and can’t always let go. We make big, elaborate plans that never come to fruition. We are always right…which is unfortunate when we don’t see eye to eye.

The good stuff, though – makes the crazy stuff disappear. He encouraged me in my schoolwork…but didn’t freak out (too much) when I came home from college and didn’t go back. He helped get my name out there when I was looking for a job, and he religiously watches out for my 401k stock holdings. He helped dig me out of a financial hole. He met me at the car repair place at 6:30 in the morning so I didn’t have to walk the 6 blocks to my office in the dark…and then when my car wasn’t fixed, he let me use his for a month.  Even though he’s reminded me twice this year that he and Mom got married when they were 26….well, I know he’s just looking out for me.

(Plus, my high standards are kind of his fault.  Shouldn’t all guys be able to fix your car, fix your computer, put an addition onto your house, wire the electricity for your garage and re-shingle the roof?  All while working full-time to support your wife and 5 kids? (uh – not that I want 5 kids.) And not to mention coaching soccer and teaching Sunday School.)

So thanks, Dad, for everything….even when I don’t act like it, I appreciate it.  Like today, when you picked a Magnolia flower off the tree so this picture wouldn’t show off my inappropriately low-cut dress.

Father's Day 2010

A few years ago, I made my Mom a stuffed heart “tattoo” for Mother’s Day.  She says it’s her favorite of all my tattoos! I spent the afternoon whipping up one for my Dad.

(For the knitters: made of leftover Malabrigo worsted in Shocking Pink.  Haven’t put it on Ravelry yet, but the pattern is linked above.  Modified to knit in the round – so much easier!)

Happy Father’s Day!

Project 365 – Weeks 5,6 & 7

So…..hi!  It seems that every time I think (and say out loud) that my life is going to slow down, well, then it pretty much explodes.  I can’t believe it’s been so long since I blogged.

I’m a little behind – in everything – but here’s 3 weeks worth of Project 365.  A good peek at what’s been going on in my life.

Project 365: Weeks 5 - 7

click here for larger pic

Week 5:

29. Went to the NC Ag Fair with Kristen and got these awesome owl buttons!

30. Thought about sewing…painted my toes instead.

31. This day pretty much passed in a daze of sinus pressure.

32. Working frantically to get this shawl knit.

33. Ally McBeal season 2 – yay!

34. My May recipe for Project 26 – Pina Colada Crunchers from HungryGirl.

35. Brunch with Betsey, followed by a photo shoot in the park – pictures for my e-harmony profile.  (Checking number 5 off the list!)

Week 6:

36. Went to a cookout with my college roommate…not that this picture has anything to do with it.

37. Came home to find this note on my door, containing the phone number of one of the guys painting the newly empty upstairs apartment…Sorry Vernon, but you’re a little (way) too old for me. (it said: Have a great day, BABE.)

38. Time to refresh the hair color.

39. Working on my socks for class.

40. New shoes…and sparkly pink toes.

41. Went on a first date!

42. Hangover cure: Tylenol and Coke.

Week 7:

43.  Got my bridesmaid’s dress for Kelly’s wedding, and it fits!

44. Book Club tonight: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

45. First Cables and Lace class….still working on mine.

46. Did you know you can buy a box of Mike and Ike’s with only the RED flavors? Yum.

47. My brother David graduated from High School today!

48. Lunch in the break room – a coworker brought me this Eclipse novella to read before the movie comes out. (If you’re planning to see it, I highly recommend this book – I was surprised at how much I liked it.)

49. Went with Kristen to donate blood for the first time. Checking number 25 off the list!

………

Clearly, it’s been a busy few weeks. And last week my boss announced no new time off could be scheduled until August…things probably won’t be slowing down, either work or personally.  However, I will try to be around here more; I miss it.

5/28 – Half Full Friday

I feel like my glass is overflowing today because:

• It’s Friday, and I’m home instead of working!
• And since Monday is Memorial Day I get a 4 day weekend. A much needed break.
• I have a brunch date with Betsey tomorrow morning!
• My college roommate is on her way into town right now and I’m super excited to see her!  It’s been at least 3 years.
• I’m getting together with some knitters tonight and I’m going to try out a new recipe for some dessert – gotta get that May recipe in for Project 26.
• My only other plans involve some quality time with Hulu and my knitting – I have 3 weeks of tv to catch up on and a shawl to finish.

If you are feeling half-full, then click the image above to join in and see who else is playing along.  Happy Friday!