Goodwill love

Last week Matthew took Anna on errands, so I had the chance to go to Goodwill by myself, a rare treat. Anna's pretty good at shopping at Goodwill, we usually fill the cart with kids books and that keeps her entertained, but it's still nice to be able to take as much time as I want, which is a lot of time.

On this particular trip, there was a huge basket full of craft kits. So exciting!

I've never done any counted cross-stitch, but this little Christmas dinosaur was so cute, surely I can manage him. Or Matthew can do it, I think he did cross-stitch in 4-H. (Is that embarrassing? I don't think so)

And, perfectly timed given my new fondness for felt, these sweet dinosaur ornaments.

The felt was all marked, with nice clear instructions and everything I would need, even a new needle!

And some glue...which was long ago past its time, but cute! Glu-bird. Sounds like a good name for a stuffed toy.

BQE

One morning, after months of thinking wistfully, "I wish this new bathroom ipod dock had a radio too" I noticed the button that says "radio".

I'm not too good in the mornings.

So now as I'm getting ready I listen to Morning Edition, and sometimes I learn something about the world, as much as I try to ignore the news.

Last week though, there was a delightful story about Sufjan Stevens and some music about the BQE, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

Click on it, listen to it, smile.

My felt food

I've been listening to the old Craftsanity podcasts, and one was an interview with Lily Bean Market, delightful maker of felt food. I went to the website and found kits! I've been thinking about felt food, and thought it would be a great way to get started. It was wonderful fun. The kits came with clear instructions, and lovely wool felt. I would never buy wool felt on my own, because it's more expensive and we don't have any around here, but it was awfully nice to work with.

I started with Christmas Cookies. Anna's been playing with these so much! I made the candy cane myself out of some of the scraps from the other cookies. Anna thinks it needs another stripe.


Next up was donuts. I made the cookies and the donuts all in one afternoon/evening.
Then came the sandwich, including two slices of bread, cheese, ham, lettuce and tomato.

And finally a whole basket full of fruit.

I have some bits of the nice felt left over, and I've been looking at free patterns and plotting what to make next. She's supposed to get all of the rest of the food for Christmas, but I was too excited to only work on them when she was asleep, so she's seen all of the fruit. (Maybe she'll forget?)

U2360

We got to see U2 and The Black Eyed Peas in Norman on Sunday night. Oh my, it was wonderful. Unfortunately all of my pictures are blurry and my videos also include my enthusiastic singing along, which I am NOT going to post. :)

I was sick sick sick, but the adrenaline and excitement pulled me through. (When I got home I made it to the Dr... Two ear infections and a sinus infection. Now that's a fan!)

My friends Sarah and Jenny (I'm linking to facebook here, don't know if it will work) both have lovely pictures from the concert, but I never can manage that demure smile...

OSU homecoming

Once in Oklahoma, we enjoyed the one of the best things about visiting Margaret...doing whatever they do.

So we all dressed up in Orange and went to the OSU homecoming parade. Did you know they say O...S...U...Go pokes!? It was very strange and felt a little odd for this KSU girl.

Anna had a great time, especially because she got to snuggle with Lainey.

Garth Brooks...and two other people (I know, it's terrible I can't even remember who they were! They were also famous) were the Parade Marshalls.

A quest

Remember how a few weeks ago we went to Oklahoma?

At the very last minute (I was actually in the car, all packed, setting up the GPS) Matthew called to say the corn was too wet to cut and he could come too.



So we did a little exploring together for a change.

First we stopped in Cimarron for Ice Cream at Clark Pharmacy. Very fun and tasty.

Then we stopped in Meade for some dinner and some play time. I was not brave enough to walk on the highest of the balance beams, but Matthew was.


The park in Meade is outstanding! Two play areas, one new and neat and one old and neat. It was there that I hit upon Anna's Quest (Kansas Explorers have quests, things that they try to do in every county in KS).

We're going to play on a playground in every county in Kansas.

I'm excited.

Thank You

While I was away, I had lots of nice comments (in person) about how I was missed.

Allow me this opportunity to share my thanks.

El día de los muertos

We're celebrating in school today. I set up a mesa de ofrenda, we're having pan de muertos, the kids made calacas and papel picado to decorate. I think it's going to be a good day.

Ok, Ok, I'll come back.

And the days are not full enough
And the nights are not full enough
And life slips by like a field mouse
Not shaking the grass.

Ezra Pound

Vacation

People with regular jobs get two weeks off, right?

Sounds good.

:)

365

I did it!

Today marks one year of posting every single day.

Whew.

Last year I did this "I" thing...I thought maybe it would be interesting to see how I'd fill it out this year.

I am- hoarse
I want- to go to U2 again.
I have- so much I want to do.
I wish- I were better at resting.
I hate- hurry.
I fear- regret.
I hear- Matthew listening to U2 videos on his camera.
I search- for perfection.
I wonder- what life should be like.
I always- try to cram too much in.
I usually- am late.
I am not- a music snob.
I dance- at concerts.
I sing- every day in every class with my students.
I never- get tired of singing.
I rarely- want to go to bed.
I cry- in church.
I am not always- sad.
I lose- time.
I’m confused- by people who seem to have enough time.
I need- an eighth day.
I should- work on my photography.
I dream- about my Mom sometimes. And once she wasn't even sick.

Now I'm intentionally taking a break for a couple of days and then I'll be back.

It's been fun!

A little preview

Concert was amazing, so much fun. Real pictures and maybe some video from me tomorrow. Now, I've got to get to bed.

U2360

Tonight!

Accidental Gardening

We have a hole in the back yard from when they put the water line in to the house (which always brings to mind Matthew's explanation of the plot problems in The Lovely Bones, but that's another story) and I always just throw weeds and other organic stuff into the hole, figuring that someday it'll all become dirt and fill it in.


This fall I noticed something green growing out of the hole, and found a nice little surprise pumpkin. I think I must have tossed the teeny decorative pumpkins in there once we were done with them last year.


It's just the right size to go with my teeny pilgrims!

Scrap Busters

They're having a "Scrap Busters Month" over at Sew, Mama, Sew.

I'd love to spend some time perusing ideas, but Anna keeps telling me "Quit piddling, Mama!"

Maybe after she goes to bed.

I certainly have some scraps...

Prayers, Please

One of my uncles is having open-heart surgery this morning. Say a prayer?

Thanks.

Wrapping Paper

I'm fessin' up. Did you know I have another paper goods addiction?

Sometimes, at Goodwill, they have old wrapping paper. I have a hoard-y stash of it.

I decided to try scanning it, in the hopes that it would help me to use it, but figuring out how to scan it to catch the repeat made me feel a little crazy.

I suppose that's fair.

The Art of Gift Wrapping

I got this little gem in a box full of auction stuff awhile ago, and it's been sitting patiently, waiting for me to sit for a minute and enjoy it.

On Saturday it was cold and icy and after switching out all of my summer things for winter things and doing a big clothing purge,

I sat down with a cup of coffee in my nice red chair and enjoyed this book.

Can you imagine actually executing these bows?

Happy Birthday!

Somebody's 50!


Wanna play... NAME THAT LOBMEYER?

(points awarded for any Lobmeyer, not just the birthday...person)

Cousins

A good baby laugh is a good thing.

After my own heart

On the way to Osborne last weekend, I asked Anna what she was working on.

"A puppet"

At the gas station, I turned around to see.

Made out of her chip bag. Of course.

When she was done she told me: "It's kind of a greasy puppet."

Tomato Sauce

The garden had a great year, even through all of the neglect it just kept producing. I would go out, pick a basket full of tomatoes, and then be scared to go back out for a couple of days, repeat. Melanie pointed me to this tutorial on how to make tomato sauce, and I did several batches, right up to the freeze, and now I'm done.

I love this tutorial because it is so easy. Cut up the tomatoes, then throw them in the blender-no peeling, no seeding. She promises you can't tell.

Then cook it down in a big pot. For this I think it would be better to have a bigger big pot than I have. It wouldn't take so many batches that way.

Then put it into jars and a hot water bath for 25-30 minutes and you're done! I made 7 so far, but I have the last of the red tomatoes on the stove now, probably two more.

For next year, I'd like to find a recipe so that I could make it spaghetti sauce, and can it that way. We eat lots of Prego.

Sew, cry, sew, cry

I finished Susan's quilt from Mom.

They picked out the pattern and the fabrics together, and she got the top all pieced. I remember her agonizing over color choices, worried that it wouldn't all look nice together. She was always worried about color.

But isn't it pretty? The colors look great. I added the borders and took it to the quilter and put the binding on. Hardest project ever.

Now Susan finally has it. Here we are in the traditional quilt shot-snuggled up on the couch.

Miss you.

Birthday Hat

The night before Susan's party, Anna decided that she needed to make her a Birthday Hat.

I'm not one to turn down a project, so I gathered up some felt and we got to work. Anna drew the heart and I cut it out of felt and stitched it to the hat. Anna drew a princess on some sparkly felt and we stitched that down too. A little decorative zigzagging around the bottom, a little elastic, and we're done!

Happy Birthday Party.

LauraK 10K 2009

(Read carefully up there...#11)

This year was the first year they had a 5K too, and I was glad, because I have not been running enough to run the 10K happily, and walking last year was NO FUN. 5K was perfect. For this year.

The best part was the other runners. I got to see Amanda, my giant blessing in Internet form, who also lost her Mama, and who has been such an encouragement to me. It was awfully nice to be able to hug her.

And super duper Sarah, who ran the whole 10K, and never once chided me for skipping out on her and only running the 5K. I'll admit it felt pretty crummy to leave her at 2.5K at my turn-around spot. Next year I'll remember that and keep training.

A big thanks to Laura's Legacy !

Perfect!

Of course it's a common thing, to stand in front of the pantry and look for something, without knowing exactly what it is.

For me, it's wanting something like a potato chip, but not a potato chip exactly. Not a cracker, not popcorn, but not a potato chip... It's been a mystery to me.

Until I purchased, on a whim, because it was Mexico's Independence Day, Goya Plantain Chips.

They're perfect! Not too greasy, kind of like a potato chip, but not exactly. How could I have been craving something my whole life that I've never had before?

And it's not the first time. I felt the same way when I first tried Pocky.

What's up with that?

Consumer Confessions

I try to be frugal.


(OK, so I don't try that hard, but I try a little (she whines plaintively)).


My Mom was really good at being frugal, and I think that Melanie is amazing at it. I just try a little, you know, buying generic, and on sale, etc.


But as much as I know that generics are just as good and as much as I look at prices, in the Peanut Butter aisle one thing rings out in my head.



Congratulations, advertisers!

Any confessions of your own?

Crochet-along bear

Well, he's done. For a while there, I hated everything about him, but he's growing on me now, even though he's all askew, limbs on crooked and an unfortunate nose/mouth that somehow ended up above his eyes, I'm starting to think he's cute.

Maybe he's just waving...or stretching?

Bitty Bitty Bows

Anna's been going crazy about Halloween, but I cannot buy one of those scratchy princess outfits from the store, and I'm not crazy about encouraging the whole Disney Princess infatuation. I don't mind princesses in general...anyway, she was a princess last year.

We came across a booth at Whimmydiddle with lovely soft tutus, made from chiffon maybe? instead of tulle?
Anna looked and looked and finally chose this yellow one, so she's going to be a ballerina bumble bee for Halloween. Much better. And the tutus were really so reasonably priced (too low, probably) so we bought a giant hair bow to match.

Bitty Bitty Bows

Supporting rural Kansas, shopping local, buying handmade, avoiding Disney Princesses, all in one perfect purchase. :)

Lilac Lane

Last weekend I went to Whimmydiddle (Wow, Scott City needs a new picture) with Katrina and family. It's always fun for me to see what people are making and selling, but sometimes I have trouble buying things because I know I could probably make it myself. This is not an attitude that supports crafters though, so I decided on this trip I would buy something...for myself! Because I rarely actually make things for myself, though that's something I'd like to change.

So I wandered by Lilac Lane and really liked her color and fabric choices, and talked with her a little bit about what it's like to make lots and lots of the same thing (the reason I don't think I could ever be a professional crafter. I don't like to do things more than once).

And I bought myself an apron! (I am still continually fighting myself, as I think of people that I could give it to, but I'm going to try my best to keep it. I probably ought to hurry up and stain it).

I also got a couple of other things, but they're little gifts, so they're secret-y.