My 6th Day Alone

How is it that 6 days after Curt left, his dirty clothes found their way to the bathroom floor? I may just leave a dirty shirt there to remind myself that I am not totally alone, despite being the only human in [our side] of the house. They had their first show last night, and I guess it went well. 300 people stuck around in the rain to see them, and some people even bought CDs, so that's really great. Now they are on their way to Perth for another show .. tomorrow? The whole time change thing is really hard to understand, today's tomorrow, tomorrow's today, it's pretty ugly. All I know is right now they are 14 hours ahead; it's nearing afternoon there, they have a show that night. 

As a result of the strange time difference, I haven't directly spoken with Curt in a few days. When he is away other places, it's not a huge deal, we can at least talk or iChat once a day, but I've just been getting random emails scattered over the last couple days. Hopefully he will have good internet in Perth and we can get a little schedule for a couple days until he moves again.

I worked this morning, and boy was I ticked. Please, everyone, if you have a $52.67 bill, leave more than $3.33. Especially if you specifically told me and my manager that I did a fantastic job! It just doesn't make sense people -- do you know anything about proper eating-out-etiquette?! Leaving crappy tips for great service is probably my biggest peeve, it's just uncalled for. 

I've been watching DVR'd episodes of Little People, Big World all night. I'm 1.5 episodes away to catching up, then I'm not sure what I'll watch. I have a couple movies on the DVR, perhaps I will check those out. 

Back to knitting dishcloths, sewing table runners, and whatever else I can find for myself.

And because I don't like posting without a picture: some summer flowers to cheer me up from the nasty cold that has set in here. 

I WIN!

For all the giveaways I always enter, I finally won one and I can't be more excited!!! Just the pick-me-up I needed after a long week kicking off a long, lonely winter. 

(How cute are these?!  -photo taken from Melly & me)

I was a runner-up over at Melly & me, and I get to pick one of three adorable patterns. I think I will have to go with Bonzer & Beaut - two cute little stuffed koalas. So appropriate since Curt is landing in Australia literally any minute now. I'll have to make some for his little sister Cali, as well as a set to bring with me to Australia and leave with the guys there. I can't wait to get the pattern! AHH I'M SO EXCITED! My heart skipped a beat when I saw my name, with a link to my blog (yes, it was me!) listed as a winner. I feel so super now. 

Are you visiting my blog from the link? Please leave a comment! Are you from Australia? Check out No Greater Sky's tour and go visit my husband Curt at a concert near you. His band is playing a bunch of different events and camps over the next couple months, he'd love to see you and your family! I'm traveling over there for Christmas & New Year's time, so let's get together and talk crafts over coffee. Do you drink coffee in Australia? I'll sip whatever it is you sip over there. 

Now I'm heading to the fabric store to pick up some fabric for binding table runners and batting to put in between. I feel a busy night coming on... Thanks again to Melly & me for the awesome giveaway! 

The Final Night

 

Today is Curt's last day in town before he jets off to Australia. In less than 12 hours he will be totally gone, on his way to LA for a couple days then to Melbourne. I've been sleeping the day away because 1) I don't feel well and 2) I don't want to have to think about life without Curt for a few months. I've been on the verge of tears a few times this weekend, but I'm trying to hold off because he's still here and crying now just seems silly. I'll save that for the ride home from the airport. 

I wish I could crawl back into bed for the rest of the day then, but I will have to just stay awake and go into school. After school we have CPI training, which means wrestling people for three hours. So that will kick off my marathon of trying to keep busy. With that on Monday and work Tuesday and Wednesday, my first solo week with be packed full of distracting duties. 

Also keeping me busy? A long list of Christmas gifts I have to make. I'll document that list later. For now, more time with my hubby, he just got home from the store.

Wordless Sunday?

I am about to get ready to go into work, but before I do I want to post some pictures of my life lately. I figure this might be easier than a very long/boring post.

Curt is leaving in 8 days for Australia. He will be gone for 3 months. Oh yeah, and he is also gone right now until Tuesday night. Boo. 

I got a new job as a teacher's aid in a special needs classroom. I have to wear this lanyard everyday. I'm considering making myself a new one because as you can see, this is ugly.

Because of this new job, in addition to my job at Olive Garden, I opted to get a flu shot this year. I have never done this before, but with kids sneezing and spitting on me all day and guests handing me their dirty plates and silverware all night, I figured I better play it safe.  I made my mom this purse out of Anna Maria Horner fabric squares. I used a brown polka dot fabric for the sides, bottom, lining and straps. I love how it turned out; I almost kept it for myself! Curt delivered it to her this weekend and she really loves it too. I also made some t-shirts for my dad, I'll have to get some pictures of those later from him. Maybe some actions shots of him wearing them! Alright, 3 o'clock is nearly here which means it's time for me to get ready. I really don't want to go into work tonight, I have a terrible feeling that we will be crazy busy, and I'm just not in the mood.

Catching Up

It's been far too long since I've updated, so to get back in the flow, I grabbed this meme from another blog (sorry, can't remember, but I'm sure it will make it's way around). The answers have to be only one word. 

I'm watching a repeat of SNL on E! right now, and Jimmy Fallon is singing songs about St. Patrick's Day and I love it. I can't wait until he takes over for Conan on late night. I haven't watched late night TV in a long time, mainly thanks to my two jobs I'm working constantly (that's what it feels like, at least). By the time I get home, make dinner, eat it, clean up, visit with my hubby, I'm ready for bed before I can watch any of my beloved TV. 

Furthermore, my TV watching has been reduced in part because of this book. I finished it last night and absolutely loved it! I had such a great time reading it and I really didn't want it to end, but alas, all good things must come to an end. That's what they say at least, right?

Now onto that aforementioned meme:

Where is your mobile phone? couch
Where is your significant other? michigan
Your hair colour? blonde
Your mother? home
Your father? healed
Your favourite thing? life
Your dream last night? unknown
Your dream goal? careers
The room you're in? clean
Your hobby? making
Your fear? losing
Where do you want to be in 6 years? tennessee
Where were you last night? work
What you're not? quiet
One of your wish-list items? happiness
Where you grew up? michigan
The last thing you did? changed
What are you wearing? fleece
Your TV? on
Your pets? sleeping
Your computer? mac
Your mood? lonely
Missing someone? Curt
Your car? dirty
Something you're not wearing? socks
Favourite shop? online
Your summer? missed
Love someone? forever
Your favourite colour? changes
When is the last time you laughed? now
When is the last time you cried? yesterday

I had a spinach omelette for dinner and now I'm going to grab some mint chocolate chip ice cream, my staple food when Curt is out of town. I can't imagine how much I'll end up eating during those three months he'll be in Australia starting in 9 days! I can't believe the time has actually come for him to pick up and leave me, there is still so much he, and I, have to do before he leaves, I hope we find the time to fit it all in. 

Fall is in the air

Fall is here, but if it weren't for the candy corn I wouldn't know. We've had multiple hot & sunny days in a row, even reaching the 80's! We had a couple cooler days last week, in which the quilt came in handy for all of us -

The colors of that quilt really aren't 'us' but I think it is 'autumn.'

I've been so busy working at the school and at Olive Garden that I've barely had time to make anything, let alone blog about it. I did make Curt a travel wallet, I'll post pictures when I get them. He's out of town right now, actually using the darn thing, so I'll have to wait until next week when he finally gets back. He's been gone so much for such long intervals that I'm going crazy. He leaves in a month for Australia, when he will be gone for 3 months. What am I going to do without him? I cry when he leaves for a week, I can't imagine the mess I will be when he leaves me for 12 weeks. Ugh, I don't want to think about it. 

I'll distract myself with the new episode of 'House' and then bed. Great plan. 

Pushing Daisies

I love ABC's 'Pushing Daisies' so much! It just gets cuter every episode. If you have not seen this show, I recommend finding the past episodes online and catching up so you can tune in every Wednesday night. I loved everything about tonight's episode from Olive in the convent to the car full of 15 dead clowns to the Cheer's allusion to the mime jokes. The costumes are fabulous, I want Chuck's* entire wardrobe, it's so vintage and lovely. The dresses, the cardigans, the adorable hair accessories - oh, what I would give to spend all my days looking so cute serving up desserts at the Pie Hole. The sets are just as fabulous as the costumes, everything is so fantastical and dreamy. The narrator is the same guy who does the Harry Potter books on tape CD and he is just magical.  

Yes, please watch 'Pushing Daisies.' I don't think you will be disappointed. 

Craft Sale Recap and Fighting Neighbors

Last week was just crazy. I was working everyday and preparing for the craft show.  I did what I could while at home, but I also brought it all with me to my parents house to finish it up. I went to bed Thursday night because I was pooped from working all night and Curt was tired from the drive up to Michigan (he did it all by himself.)

Friday I got up early to start working again. My dad had cardiac rehab, so he woke me up before he left. I got up eventually and started working. When he got home we ran to the Secretary of State to change over the title on my car. I also needed to get a new license plate. Note to self: I have to put that on today. We also stopped by the fabric store to pick up some last minute essentials, and Dad picked out fabric to make "friends" for Buddy. 

I worked hard all day Friday and turned it into a family affair. Mom was ironing, I was sewing, Bri was turning, Curt was stitching. It was all a very well oiled machine managed by yours truly. I was very thankful for their help.

Later in the night, Bri ended up doing some sewing of her own, impressive because the girl has never sewn before. She won't admit it, but she loved every minute and even kicked me out of her area so she could be creative on her own. I am the creative one in the family, so I was very proud of her. 

Bri & Curt went to bed around 3 AM and 5Am, respectively. I, on the other hand, stayed up all night. My mom woke up around 6:30 to get ready, and I greeted her in the bathroom. One mug of English Toffee coffee later, I was ready to go. We picked my eager grandma up and headed to the church where the craft show was being held. 

I was shocked to see how many vendors there were, and a lot of them were utter crap. My aunt Dianne also came to help us set up. My table was ready to go, we grabbed some donuts, and waited. 

And waited, and waited, and waited. 

We had a fun time, but unfortunately business was not booming. I sold a few things, but not like I had hoped. Headbands and cupcake pincushions were the most popular, go figure. The easiest and cheapest things to make. I should have just made a whole table of those. Oh well, now I know and I can make more for the next one. 

We all had a great time and it was so much fun to hang out with my family. I miss seeing them on a regular basis, so it was nice to catch up. The craft show was over at 3, and I immediately took a nap when we got home. They woke me up to go out to eat. I slept on the way to Mongolian Barbeque, barely made it in the door, woke up enough to eat and laugh at all the scandalous homecoming dresses. I managed to stay awake for awhile at home, Curt stayed up and I fell asleep on the couch watching SNL. I love me some Tina Fey & Amy Poehler!

All in all, despite the lack of sales, I had a great weekend with my family. My dad is healing up well from his surgery, and will be heading back to work next week. It's good to see him healthy and happy, when we left him last, he was still in the hospital bruised and bloody. 

Now I have some slippers and aprons to make special ordered by my family. Also 6 sets of coasters and one purse for my mom. I won more Anna Maria Horner fabric on eBay, so I am going to make it out of that. She wants a fall purse and picked out that fabric from my stash. 

Last night the neighbors were fighting at 4AM and woke me up. I'm still tired from listening to them yell for 1 hour, but I can catch up on that later. It went something like: 

Guy: You didn't come home, I was sitting here at home. 

Girl: What do you want me to do?

Guy: I don't know, call me. Get in the car and come home. If that was me out, you would have freaked and gone ballistic. 

Girl: Whatever

Guy: If that was me out with some girl, you would kill me. Who is the one always looking through my phone, checking my text messages? I talk to a girl outside of work once and you lose it. You sent a text to someone in my phone to see how she would respond. You don't trust me. What kind of marriage is that? - (which answered my question as to whether they were married or merely living together, we weren't sure. And I'm still not convinced they are actually married - no rings. But he does have a giant heart tattoo with her name on it. I haven't seen his likeness on her yet.) You don't trust me.

Girl: something I couldn't hear, she wasn't yelling nearly as loud as he was. 

This went on and on for over an hour. They were moving around their side of the house, so I couldn't hear the whole conversation, despite my best eavesdropping efforts. I was ready to call the cops if: A) I heard physical contact, B) she started crying, C) they didn't shut up eventually. I don't support domestic abuse, be it physical or verbal. But they seemed to calm down eventually; there was a door slammed around 5AM that woke Curt up because Finn started barking. I think at that point they got the clue that it was the middle of the night and they were a mere wall away from sleeping neighbors and shut up. I'm anxious to see if they are both living there after this weekend, they have been fighting a lot lately. I know it's none of my business, but they make it mine when they wake me up in the middle of the night with their screaming. So there. 

Now to the store, I need fabric and yarn and do-dads. You know, do-dads for the aprons. Oh, and either Joann's or Hobby Lobby has patterns mega cheap, so maybe some of those too. 

Win a Free Handbag!

Handbag Planet is giving away a handbag an hour in a couple weeks, and you can enter to win. All you have to do is visit Handbag Planet, pick your favorite bag and sign up! So easy, plus, earn extra points by twittering, facebooking, and blogging - everything I do anyway! Could the chance at a free handbag be any easier?! I think not. 

On My Own: Day I've Lost Count

Today is my first double shift. I am on a short break right now, which I shouldn't have bothered taking seeing as Curt isn't home right now and he didn't get the laundry in that I asked him to. I was depending on that laundry so I could get something done so he could get a lot done for me while I work tonight. 

Alas, here I sit alone at home on my break not getting anything done I planned on. Blogging will do. 

I finished all the blocks for Jelena's quilt and did the sashing last night. No pictures yet, but it looks really cute. I still really hope she likes it because boy did I put a lot of time into it. 

I also quilted and bound the baby quilt I've been working on. I hate satin binding with a passion. But babies love it, so what can I do?

Tonight I will piece the back for Jelena's quilt, put it all together, and quilt it a little. I'm not planning on doing too much quilting because I don't want it to take away from the horses. I'm still debating how exactly I want to do it. And I'm not going to bind it. I'm thinking I'll just do the inside-out sandwich - turn it right side-out thing. And then topstitch around. Yeah, that will take much less time. 

Then I have to make a million headbands, baby shoes, burp clothes, and bibs. I'm never going to finish all this in time. I feel a couple all nighters coming on...  Maybe I can get someone to work for my Thursday night. That would be a huge help. Yes, I'm going to ask around. 

Curt's not home yet and I have to eat something before I get back to work. I was hoping he'd get back with milk, but no such luck. Guess I'm eating a Pop Tart for dinner... I'll grab a breadstick when I get back to work. And here's also hoping that Curt got me a job at the high school. I sent him in today to convince them to hire me, after leading me on with a job and dropping me like a dead fish in the toilet. Rude; so rude. I am forever resentful. 

On My Own: Day 1

Today was my first day all alone on the job. No one following me around, no one telling me what to do, no one grading my every move. Boy was it great to be free. 

In other news, my hubby is finally coming home, hopefully tomorrow night! I work a dinner shift tomorrow so he will probably get home the same time I will. I have missed him terribly for the past 12 days, the Finn has too. He was busy being a rock star, but I like him best here at home with me. He can be a rock star, just so long as he eventually comes home. I don't know what I'm going to do when he leaves me for three months this winter to tour Australia. Scratch that, I know what I'll be doing - probably working two jobs to try and keep up with the bills. 

What's up with Gossip Girl herself pimping Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist? I mean, great cross-marketing, but are the two related in any way?! Well, other than the fact that I love Gossip Girl and I also love Michael Cera. So yeah, I guess the commercial worked - I'll see the movie at some point and probably love it. I'd rather see Michael Cera in the Arrested Development movie that is rumored to be coming. Can't wait!

Training Day 6

Today was my last day of training. I was pretty much on my own today, Mandy didn't follow me very much. I passed my stupid menu test, 100% ! So that's a load off my shoulders until tomorrow when I have to study for my final server test. It's pretty much common sense, so I don't think it will be too hard. 

Today was a perfect fall day, cool temperatures, crisp breeze, but there could have been a little more sun. I pulled out my hand-knit wool socks. They made me feel very fally. 

Today's weather was quite the contrast to Saturday, it was very hot and humid, the beginning signs of Hurricane Ike rolling through. I took Finnegan for a walk between shifts at work and I made a big mistake:

Do you see it? I walked out of the door in my slippers. They are just like shoes to me and I wear them all over the house. I was talking to my sister while hooking Finn up, and I guess I was distracted. I didn't realize I was wearing them until it was too late to turn back. It made for a hard walk through the tall grass and wooded area, but Finn got his walk in and all was well. 

Tonight is my first night without studying to do, so I am going to make more blocks for Jelena's horse quilt.  Tonight will be the smaller horses, so I'm a little worried about drawing them and cutting them out, so I hope it goes well. 

Finnmonster has been driving me crazy all day, now he wants to go out *I think* It's hard to know what a dog wants when that dog can't talk. He's pretty good about scratching at the door, scratching at his food dish, but today he's just been crawling and clawing all over me and I can't read his darn mind. How long until we have that capability?

Training Days 4 & 5

Yesterday was crazy busy. I worked 9 am - 3 pm, had a couple hour break, and then went back in for a 5 pm - 9 pm dinner shift. Lunch was alright, but dinner was out of control. There were so many people working, the kitchen was cramped and HOT and our side of the restaurant was a sauna. We got relief by traveling to the other side of the restaurant, where their A/C seemed to be working really well. 

I got home late and had to study for my Menu Test. I was up until 2 am studying, but I still didn't feel comfortable with the stuff. This morning I was a nervous wreck, but when I got into work Mandy said I could take the test tomorrow. What a relief! 

Today was a good day. I did my reverse-follow, which meant Mandy followed me around while I waited tables. I think it went well, I felt pretty comfortable, and I walked away with good tips. The stinky part is that those tips go directly to the bank to fund our life. Darn, I really like having cash in my wallet. 

Now I have to study for that darn menu test again. I know the entrees, just not all the stupid vegetables that go along with them. I will learn them, and learn the wines that pair well with them. It's the veggies I'm worried about, not the wines ... I like wine, I'll pair it with everything. Vegetables? Eh, take them or leave them in most cases. 

I've watched two episodes of House this evening, and wow! - what great music. Damien Rice, something else, a folky Christian Aguilera cover. If House had a soundtrack, I think I would dig it. 

More music I'm digging right now? Phil Wickham. Right now you can download his Sing Along album for FREE and wow, it's really great. Even better? Curt totally hung out with him this weekend at the Spring Hill Music Festival. I was extremely bummed that I couldn't be there, because I really love Phil's music. Curt says they have a surprise for me, all I want is an autographed CD :-) I've been meaning to get his Canons album for awhile and just haven't gotten around to it, so I hope Curt comes home with one. Interesting fact about Phil? - He loves Jon & Kate + 8 as much as we do! I can't wait to get my surprise. 

Curt also called and left a message so I could hear John Reuben performing, he's so much fun live. And our power went out right when Superchick went on, so I had trouble getting through to Curt, but got to hear Superchick performing while Curt tried to explain the breakers to me. Turns out it wasn't a blown fuse or whatever, just the nasty side effects of Hurrican Ike blowing (seriously, blowing) through Indiana. Power came back on a couple hours later and I am a happy camper. 

Now to that dumb menu test... Wanna know what's in chicken marsala? I can tell you. 

Job Training: Day 2

Today was a busy day at the Garden. I was surprised to see so many people there for lunch. We did some book work in the morning and then started serving around 11. Wow, it got very busy very quickly. Our trainer Mandy, myself, and the other trainee, Kelli, had four tables to serve. For majority of the time there were 16 people we were serving. You don't realize how many people that is until they all need drink and breadstick refills. And don't even get me started on the tray carrying-- I can't do it. I am a small little girl; if not for my giant knockers, I would wear little girl things. My 12-year-old SIL is bigger than me. So when it comes lifting ginormous trays loaded with giant plates loaded with large servings of pasta, I am not the person to do the job. The problem? That is my job now. So I need to practice lifting and carrying trays with ONE hand and my shoulder. Yes, I see some practice in my future. 

So after a crazy busy day running around (and sampling delicious classic recipes and wines) I came home to my perfect dog Finnegan a pile of dog popp on the rug. Giant pile, of both runny and hard poop. On the rug that was in a pile in the entry way because he threw up on it last night and it needed to be washed. Boy did it need to be washed now. Finn knew he had done something wrong, he didn't even try jumping up on me, he just sat there with that guilty look in his eyes. And it's hard to be mad when I know he knows what he did was wrong, but boy was I mad. As I walked further into the apartment, there it was - more poop. Little dots of runny poop throughout the kitchen. like he was just walking around with a leaky bum. That or he stepped in a bit of it and then walked around the house. And there was more; under my desk chair. How did he manage to poop under my desk chair?! There is not space back there for a naughty puppy *read: 3-year-old* to squat and take another leaky dump. So I took the rug into the bathroom, flushed the poop, then went at the floor with cleaner on my hands and knees. Did I mention how mad I was? I won't post the pictures I sent to Curt... 

Finn doesn't do this, he can go for hours without being out. We have left him for very long days and he has been fine. Why now? Why me? Why when Curt is gone? I think he's harboring hatred for me leaving him two mornings in a row and staying gone all day. I'm not gone that long, I just think he is very lonely without anyone else around. Because he also managed to get the sheet on our couch all the way off the top and even rip one of the pillows, like he was just running back and forth on the top of the couch like a tasmanian devil. Devil is the right word- my mom calls him the diablo dog; I can't disagree.

As mad as I am about his unacceptable behavior, Curt is still gone and he is the only thing I have to keep me company for the next week. So he gives me his puppy eyes and I forgive him. Until I remember that I have to go outside to go downstairs to put the rugs in the dryer. It's raining outside, I don't want to go out, which also means he probably won't be getting a walk, which I think is the exact opposite of what he needs right now. 

What I need right now is my husband and a bottle of wine all to myself. I have neither, unfortunately, but I do have mint chocolate chip ice cream and leftover baked ziti, so I guess I'll just have to cope. Where did the night go, it's already almost 7?! My current timeline is leaving me wanting more hours in a day. 

Enough time wasted blogging. No one reads it anyway, but it's good enough for me to vent. I'm going to get some ice cream, baste the baby quilt, and maybe then if I'm feeling generous, Finn will get his walk after all. 

Job Training: Day 1

My first day of training went as well as can be expected. We watched a bunch of lame videos about sanitation, food preparation, blah blah blah. We got to sample a bunch of the appetizers, that was wonderful because I ate so much, I didn't have to cook dinner at all. But in exchange for a free meal day, I had to eat calamari, stuffed mushrooms, and mussels. Can I get an eewww? To some this may sound like a delight, but I felt like I was on an episode of Fear Factor. But they weren't terrible, and if I had to eat them again I would. 

Yesterday I also finished the first horse block of the horse quilt:

Sorry about the bad quality - taken from my iPhone. But I think you get the gist. I was really pleased with how this turned out, hopefully Jelena will be too. Because the black stallion is her absolute favorite of all horses (at least it was 4 weeks ago...) And she wanted it with the blue ribbon, so voila - here's her horse. I hope the other horses will come out looking as cute. Oh, and this guy still needs an eye. I'm debating how I want to do that, suggestions?

Okay, time for bed. The Finn-monster is being, well, a monster. He thinks there's something under our porch and he won't go bathroom. I know there is nothing under there and he is just mental. I also happen to know that he has to go bathroom, but I'm not going to stand out there all night while he gets himself stuck under the deck. Instead, I'm sure, he will wake me up at 5AM to take him out so he can go bathroom and then trick me and try to hustle under the deck. And I also happen to know that he needs a bath; but I don't want to give him a bath. It's not hard and it doesn't take long, but it just takes that effort I'm not willing to put in right now. 

Right now, I am ready to put in effort into going to bed. I have to wake up in less than 8 hours, darn, messed that up again. My shirt is ironed, my pants are hemmed, I'm ready for Job Training: Day 2. 

Getting Ready

Today will be spent getting ready for numerous things. One, getting ready for my new job as a server at Olive Garden, which I start tomorrow. I had to get oxford shirts and black pants, all of which are too big for me, of course, so I have to hem the pants and take the shirts in a little. 

Second, I need to get my house ready for the possibility of the landlord coming by tomorrow with a new realtor. The house we live in, as well as a few others, have been up for sale for over a year now. They had a realtor initially, then tried to sell them themselves, now they are trying a different realtor. So of course she wants to tour all the apartments, which means cleaning up. However, I will be at work while they are coming by, and because we have a terror of a dog, they won't be coming into our apartment unless I am home. I am pretty sure I'll still be at work, but just in case I get out early or something, I will have to pick up the house so it is presentable. I don't think it's very bad right now, just a mess from all my sewing and crafting. I am going to get as much sewing done as possible today so I can take tonight and clean the house up.

I hate when they come through our house because I just don't like the thought of strangers looking at my things. Oh well, such is the life of a renter, I guess. I think I'll just take all the junk and put it in bags and then put the bags in my trunk or something. I really don't feel like doing a total overhaul, and I always get stuck doing it alone while Curt is away. How does he always manage to pick the most opportune times for him to go away?For now, I will make a cup of tea and get to work sketching out these darn horses. Have I mentioned that I have never likedam indifferent about horses? They just seem like large, hairy animals, and yes, I see their usefulness say, on a farm, but I cannot see them as a cute and cuddly animal that little girls go gaga over. Baby horses, maybe, but not the big ones.

Bachelorette Again

I just started a quilt for my cousin Jelena. She is in 2nd or 3rd grade I think and has an incredible love of horses (for the time being).  They redid her room from Tinkerbell to horses and requested a quilt from yours truly. The colors in her room are lilac and light green, so I wanted to incorporate those into the quilt. The result will be a 3X3 grid with lime green sashing between blocks. The following blocks will be the corner pieces, all lilac. The center block will also be lilac with a black stallion with a blue ribbon (per Jelena's very specific request). The rest of the blocks will be 'scene' blocks with grass & sky as the background for different kinds of horses. Jelena asked for a mommy & baby horse, a white horse, a horse jumping, and a horse wearing a coat (among many other crazy ideas, but I picked those in a executive decision). Tonight I plan on tackling some of the horses, which I think will be a lot harder than these first ones I worked on.

Horse shoes - the dots are stitches. Hearts - I think I might add another color (dark purple?) in the middle of the big one. Flower - I love how this turned out, the pink fabric is kind of lustrous. It is from the Hannah Montana collection at Hobby Lobby. If Jelena knew this, she would love it even more. Finally, a prize winning blue ribbon. I think this one turned out really cute too.

Curt left me to do some recording in Michigan for the next week and a half or so. He recording a few new songs with an old friend. Then this weekend the band is playing at the Spring Hill Music Festival in Evart, MI. There are going to be lots of other bands there, including one of my favorite new artists, Phil Wickham. Also, Superchick and John Reuben, both old favorites. Curt knows the guys in Superchick, so hopefully he will be able to catch up with them; when we were in Nashville he saw a couple of them, but didn't get to talk much. After the festival the band is heading back to the studio to finish up the songs. I hope everything goes well, Curt has been wanting to lay down new music for quite some time. 

So while Curt is away I tend not to eat very well because I hate cooking for one. Hence my late lunch/early dinner of:

Strawberry oatmeal. I don't even like oatmeal, but I really don't like meals for single people. Sometime soon I will go to the store and get a cart-full of Ramen noodles and Hot Pockets. See, Ramen noodles just sound so darn good right now, I think I could eat a pack a night.

For now though, I should walk the Finnegan monster. Then back to the horsey quilt. 

New Project

I bought fabric today to get started on a horse quilt for my cousin Jelena. They just redid her room in horses, so my aunt Beth asked me to make something for her. My plan is to make a 9X9 grid of 20X20'' squares. Five of the squares will have different horses (Jelena told me exactly what she wants, but I hope I remember correctly). The other four squares (corners) will have a heart, a flower, a blue ribbon, and horse shoes. I will be doing these squares first because I hope they will be easiest. I'm going to applique the designs on plain colored blocks and I've never really done the satin stitch applique, so here goes nothing. 

Also, I'm no expert on drawing horses, I've never been much of a horse person myself. I found lots of pictures online that will hopefully help me along. I figure I can trace/free hand my way through five horses. Right? That's not too much, is it? Man, I better get started. 

I'm using the tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew about applique. That makes it look pretty simple, I hope it really is that easy. 

And I'm Back

Yikes, I haven't updated this in far too long. I have been pretty busy with all sorts of crazy stuff. Two weeks ago I was visiting my parents. Curt was in Pennsylvania with his family staying in cabins. Sounded pretty rustic to me. 

On August 14 my dad had heart surgery. Here's the after result, taken in the last couple days:

Pretty gross, huh? He had mitral valve repair via the da Vinci surgery robot. The big gash near his nipple was where the surgeon also had to cut him open a little more and go in with his own two hands. That's the biggest cut, and it's only 3.5 inches or so. We were really blessed with medical technology in Grand Rapids, without that robot it would have been open heart/slice him apart surgery. You'd be looking at a much different picture if that was the case! The other big hole is where his chest drainage tube was. That was the last thing to come out. The rest it just nasty bruising from all the hemming and hawing the doctors had to do. Most importantly though, a smile on his face. He's feeling tons better than last week when he was stuck in the hospital. It was pretty bad for a few days, but he's home now and my mom even let him stay by himself today. He can't lift his right arm over his head, that will come when he heals a little more. We are so thankful that he is doing well and will soon be back to his old self! 
So his surgery was on Thursday, and we spent ALL DAY in the hospital. At 6:50 Friday morning, I boarded a plane to meet Curt and his family in PA. That made for a very long couple days, but I was happy everything worked out. 
Friday night we attended the rehearsal dinner for Curt's uncle, who was getting married Saturday. We stayed at this cute little inn near Kate's (the bride) family farm where the wedding was. Friday night I slept like a rock for the first time in a week. Saturday we all got ready for the wedding, then off to the wedding we went. 

It was such a beautiful setting over looking the hills. Greg (the groom) made that alter, he's very handy.

Kate was an absolutely gorgeous bride. Her whole ensemble was so her. 

We had a wonderful time at the wedding, it was a perfect afternoon, although the evening did get quite cold. Everyone let loose and had their sweatshirts and jackets on while dancing the night away. 

Sunday after the wedding we made our way back to Michigan with Curt's family. From their house Curt & I made our way back to Grand Rapids. We were worried that we would then have to make our way from there to Anderson, but luckily (?) I didn't get a job I was planning on, so we stuck around GR for a couple days. 

Monday my sister moved back to college, so I stayed at the hospital all day while my mom helped her move in. I never want to spend that much time in a hospital again, what a drain! Amidst all that chaos, my mom's car had to go into the shop (turned out to just be a headlight that needed replacing - how embarrassing) so we were shuffling cars around. 

I forget when we actually headed back for Anderson, but that day we also had to drop Curt's dad's van off at the Grand Rapids Airport because he was flying in. Curt drove it in, parked it, and then I went in after him. I felt like maybe we were doing something illegal, but we didn't get caught and they haven't chased us down yet. 

So here we are back in Anderson for a week or so now. I've been applying for a job, we need something because we are both just left with substituting, which doesn't really pay the bills. I have an interview tomorrow at Sears. Not the place I want to work for the rest of my life, but working there for the time being will help us get by. 

In the past week we have been busy getting settled in the house again. I finished these socks:

We caught this spider:

Gross, I know. We killed it shortly after this picture was taken. RIP, spider. 

Let's see.. what else have I been up to? Besides that spider moving in, we have also dealt with hornets and ants. I can't figure out where the hornets are coming from, I found their hole on the opposite side of the house, and that goes into the basement. I think they are coming up into our living room through the basement via the heating vents or something. Is that possible? We need an exterminator. 

Yeah, that's all I can think of for now. I need to finish a baby quilt and then start a horse quilt for my cousin. Best get to that now before I land a job that will take all my time.. 

 

Back From Vacation Again

I have been camping in Muskegon for a week, and really enjoyed myself. We have been going to the state park for my whole life, so I consider it more our summer home. We were able to hit the beach everyday and my tan even caught up to my sisters, who has been a nanny all summer that takes the kids to the pool everyday. So needless to say, my weeklong tan is much more impressive than her summer-long tan. I much prefer myself tan!

Can we talk about the olympics? Like how the women's gymnastics were throwing away the competition? Falling on their butts, stepping out of bounds, totally screwing up? At least a couple of them were able to pull it together and qualify. Gymnastics is just about the only sport I will go out of my way to watch. I do enjoy the other sports, but there is just something about gymnastics that has always inspired. 

Swimming has been exciting; lots of record breaking. Oh, and this afternoon we saw synchronized diving, which was very cool. Also, did you see the pouring rain happening at the beach volleyball? That would not be a beach day at all, glad that wasn't my beach! 

While at the beach this past week I finished "Baby Proof" by Emily Giffin. I love this lady and her books. I have also read "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue" and now I can't wait to get my hands on "Love The One Your With" which is her latest. Her books are smart and funny, easy reads but more depth than my typical beach books. They take twists and turns you never see coming, but they all end with a satisfying touch. I insist every lady read them. 

Now I am reading "The Appeal" by John Grisham. I also love his books, I still have many to read unlike my mom and Curt, who read them as they are released. I have been slowly working my way through his collection; read a book, what the movie adaptation (the books are always better.) I am only a few pages in, so I can't give a review yet. 

11:30? That means it's time for me to go to bed. What a loser; my parents have gotten me on their schedule so I now get tired around 10 pm and wake up at 9:30 am. Much different than my and Curt's 4am/1pm sleeping/waking schedule. I have to stick to this early to bed, early to rise nonsense though, because school starts August 18 and now that I am a permanent substitute, I have to get up even earlier. Curt better not try to mess my schedule up, he always does. Yup, definitely time for bed. I'll stay up a few more seconds to catch the end of this swim relay ... they are shattering the world record ... USA should get the silver ... oh my, the announcers are screaming ... USA TAKES GOLD right at the end! Plus a new world record. "That might be the most incredible relay sprint I have ever seen in my life" - NBC announcer. Wow, that was close, neck-and-neck, wow. The announcers are still going crazy with 80 different angled replays. Michael Phelps is going crazy, the whole team is going crazy, everyone is going crazy; expect that is, France. This is why I love the olympics. Dang, now I have to stay awake and watch the medals and after-race interviews. Wait... TV in the bedroom, thanks, Mom & Dad.