Making Christmas

I spent some time getting to know my sewing tools in preparation for this Christmas. Some was done by hand, some was with the sewing machine I bought a few months ago and have been waiting to use. Here are a few highlights:

Marilyn checking out the sewing machine

Ipod Cover for Baby Sis

My first quilt - made for the Niece


Apron for Middle Sis
BONUS PIC: The Niece in a bath over Christmas break. Again... mine eyes have seen nary a cuter face upon the crust of this earth :-)

Dangerous

That's what late night television is. Dangerous.

In my non-working interim, I have changed up my old before-bed tv routine. Here's the old routine:

11:30 - Friends on CW
Midnight - Bed

Here's the new:

11:30 - Friends on CW
Midnight - King of Queens on CW
12:30am - The Office on Fox
1:00 am - Law & Order on ABC
2:00 am - Great documentaries about Christ, Peter and Paul on PBS

Told you..... dangerous.

Catching Up #3

A little cat owner indulgence.

It's been a long time coming that these two get along so well. Marilyn typically likes to maintain her personal space a little more.

These were all taken on different days.

(That is my lap they are both sharing, and I didn't invite either one to climb up there)

(Ok. So, every so often, they still play a little rough - this one to the tune of "Kung Fu Fighting")

Catching Up #2

A couple other shots I've been holding on to from the chaos that was my late Oct./early Nov.

Best pumpkin I saw this year. It was at Homemade by Suzanne's in Ashland, VA. We had a campaign rally stop there in the final week before the election. Sarah Palin had an event there last year too (I think it's mentioned in her book). Anywho... I thought it was very clever.


Where else do you get Patrick Henry with a megaphone along your marathon route? Gotta love Richmond. :-)

Catching Up #1

A few moments with me and the neice while the rest of the house was sleeping.

it's That Time Again

For Poor Man's Toffee!

I'm making this tonight as part of the Thank You gift for the ICU staff that's been w/ Dad for the last week and a half.

Didn't want you to forget it as you navigate this season of Christmas parties :-)

http://diemstocarpe.blogspot.com/2008/12/poor-mans-toffee.html

My Post 11/3 To Do List

Get a job

Clean my bedroom

Catch up with friends

Rent all previous seasons of Grey's Anatomy and get up to speed

Learn to use my sewing machine

Grocery shop

Take advantage of the gym membership I've been paying for for a year

Spend lots of time with family

Perfect my bread

Think about dating again

See the Richmond sites I haven't been to yet

(Work in progress)

Warms my Heart

My dad and my niece.

Overheard Tonight in the Call Center

(8:15pm)

Me:

Good evening Ms. _____. I'm a volunteer... blah blah..... wondering if we can count on your support on Nov. 3 for candidates ____, _____ and _____?

(long pause)

Woman:

Well, I was going to until you called during our dinner.

Me:

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I wish I had a magic cam into everyone's homes so I could tell if they were eating or not. I certainly wouldn't call them during meal time (thinking to self, isn't 8:15 AFTER "dinnertime"?)

(another long pause)

Woman:

Well, people don't like telemarketing calls.

Me:

I totally agree with you. I'm just a volunteer who cares about VA. Didn't mean to interrupt. Have a great night. thiscallwaspaidforby_____

La Doche No Funchona

(mispelled, I'm sure)

When I went to Italy in 2003, I studied up on Italian beforehand. Turns out most everyone spoke to us in English, and the only time I got to utilize my skills was to request a wake-up call one night when the hotel desk attendant clearly spoke Italian.

HOWEVER, the first phrase I remember learning and the only one I still remember was the above which means, 'The shower doesn't work'.

Ladies and gentlemen.... I bring you this video of my current shower. Since it was taken on Sunday, it has further deteriorated into not releasing any water at all. Good thing I still have my gym membership until it's repaired.

It's the Little Things

22 days to the election. This means running even more full throttle than before. There are definite moments of wanting to scream, burn a select few in effigy and wishing there were a place to hide until Nov. 4 is upon us. But, there are also the small, seemingly insignificant, cues that I can carry on. I can see this through. They give me a smile and the energy to go another day.

1. Marilyn & Teddy - At the risk of sounding like a crazy cat lady, they have been wonderful lately during my terrible bronchitis and long hours. I snapped this one yesterday morning... I mean... you have to admit, they're cute!



2. Fall, Changing of Leaves and Nature. I pulled over to snap this one on I-64 between Charlottesville and Waynesboro on Saturday night. It was just what I needed to take a deep breath and a 5 minute break to watch the colors fade to navy.

Take 7 Minutes out of your Day

Seizing a Rare Opportunity to...

...actually cook a real dinner.

I SO love to cook. Until November 4, though, the moments are rare that I can actually devote time to it. I tried a little something I saw on a PBS segment on Virginia farming tonight. It was so relaxing and comforting, and... left me feeling so much better than eating out. There's just something that feels right about starting with fresh ingredients and making something delicious.

-

This was a made-from-scratch marinara (blanced and peeled tomatos, garlic, olive oil, fresh basil & mushrooms) over julienned zuchini and brown rice noodles. Yum.

TODAY! - 2009 Dairy Queen Miracle Treat Day

You need ice cream today anyway, right?

Ta-Da!

It's Finished!!!

Awaiting the final step of adding straps

Completed Front

Completed Back

(View of the underside)

Project Runway, here I come!

This was a lot of fun. We'll have to see if it actually fits. I have a feeling it will make a good toddler shirt when she's a little older. I just have no idea if the proportions are right.

Domestication

As I stated previously, a new niece makes me want to do things like crochet, quilt and all other crafty-type things. I'm counting myself lucky that this urge is stronger than shopping (since my budget is tight and I would want to buy every cute thing in sight for her).


This weekend I decided I would sew her a dress. If you really understood what that means, you'd be on the floor laughing. I don't have a sewing machine. I didn't buy a pattern. I just saw these dresses on my old roomie Jan's photography blog and felt inspired.


So.... I stopped off at the fabric store on the way home from work on Friday and got to work.


It's all hand stitched, and it probably won't fit, but I'm really quite proud of how it's coming along. I'll post another picture tomorrow or Wednesday when it's done.

Scatter Sunshine

I've been thinking about this for a long time and am now hoping that putting it publicly into writing will bring it to the forefront of my mind. Maybe I'll actually DO it then.

-

There are so many small nice things I want to say to people. Some of these people I know. Some, I don't. I want to get a set of small cards (larger than business cards but smaller than notecards) printed up to jot on and leave for these people. I don't want to monogram them, but some sort of personal trademark might be nice.

-

Then, I could do things like leave notes on people's desks, cars, doors and seats. I could tell them things like, "Your new haircut looks great!", "I always notice your beautiful flowers on my neighborhood walks." and "Your lesson really got me thinking. Thanks for your preparation!".

When do You Give Up on Utopia?

Most days, lately, I feel trapped between my optimistic childlike self and my slightly more realistic adult self. In thinking about making a move to WA in 2010, I'm left, again, with the realization that I will never have everything all in one geographic location.

-

My Utopia would be a place where my family, close friends, good employment, romantic potentials and breathtaking nature are all together. It would also have ample cultural resources in close proximity and a healthy dose of classic architecture and history. (In fact, if you want to get into the details, it would also have wide streets, park-like medians, sidewalks and bike paths abounding). That place will never exist, but I think I'm just beginning to come to terms with that.

-

I know,... I know... you're wondering why this is a big deal to me. You've likely realized such things long ago. Don't get me wrong. I'm very blessed. And, no matter where I've been, I've had elements of my Utopia. A little piece of me has been holding on to the belief that at some point, though, all of those elements would come in line.

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I'm sure Facebook is to blame for some of these feelings, too. Reconnecting with old friends can be eye-opening. Two friends from high school have children of their own entering high school this year. Old roommates are on their third child. Taking a look at other lives makes me more aware that I've been living in some sort of parallel universe during the years we've been apart.

-

As I type this, I'm watching a show on PBS about a modest income family who sails on their 25 boat all around the world with their two kids. Playing with puffins, touching an iceberg, watching the moon rise over the ocean and daydreaming while watching glowing phosphorescence under the water in the middle of the night.... kind of tempting. I loved a quote during it, "when we measure our lives by possessions, we miss who we truly are."

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What would be in your Utopia? Or, if you already live in your Utopia, what makes it so?

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What's Wrong w/ This Picture?

I stopped in quickly for a tire gauge. It was hard to capture this without making the cashier aware. (Richmond, Friday 7/24).

As a fun game - please leave your guess for such wackiness in the comment section. :-)

P.S.

I know this background doesn't match my header at all, but I thought it was so cute that I had to put it up temporarily.

Cute Pictures

Again stalling putting actual thought and intellect into my posts.... I bring you two very cute pictures.

1. My niece. Just as fair warning, I will continue to brag about her and shamelessly promote her cuteness for years to come. Happy 2 months, Kaelyn!

2. Little Miss Hanover Tomato. (From Hanover Tomato Festival 2009). It is fair and festival season in Virginia, and I'm on the road A LOT. While I miss being home more often, I do enjoy this little slice of Americana ; Arts and Crafts vendors, parades, cotton candy, corn dogs, port-a-potties.... ok, maybe not the port-a-potties so much.

Destined for the Pacific Northwest?

I could spend several posts explaining what it's like to work on a campaign. The lifestyle is far different from normal jobs (whatever that means in today's society). Each campaign is it's own entity, but most patterns are similar. Rather than go into specifics, I will just generalize by saying hours are long and, more often than not, 7 days a week. Vacation time is an unspoken word. Deadlines, events and voter contact never sleep - and thus... neither do we.

(Insert obligatory plug: If you live in VA, please don't forget to vote for Bill Bolling (Lt. Governor) this November. It will have made this lifestyle more worth if for me. *end plug*)

Anywho, somehow I got the green light to spend a short amount of time with family over Father's Day weekend.

My grandfather passed away in January, but in order to comply with his wishes for no funeral opted to gather in June to honor his life in a location that couldn't have been more ideal. It was the very best combination of mountain, sea and Naval air strip that seemed to be crafted just for celebrating the life of my Naval aviator, Sierra Club (before they went super liberal) hike leader, ship-loving and nature expert of a grandfather. Simply put - PERFECT.

The location? Whidbey Island, more specifically, Deception Pass State Park. And, because my grandmother and three of my mom's siblings now live on the island as well, it made for a great get-away. Truthfully, I can hardly wait to move there.

More thoughts in the future, but for now, some pictures from the trip.

1. The Welcome to Whidbey sign you see in Clinton, right after getting off the ferry.

2. View from the Mukilteo-Clinton Ferry looking at the vessel carrying passengers in the opposite direction.


3. Deception Pass Bridge (from below). This was on our hike to the location we went for Grandpa. Deception Pass is named such because the narrow water connection passing through actually flows in both directions, depending on the tide. Sailors were frequently mistaken about their location because of it.


4. Family pausing for a break along the hike.

5. The home in Oak Harbor that my mom's family lived in (she was age 3, I think) when Grandpa learned how to fly at the Naval base there. Very overgrown now. You can't even get 1/2 way up the steps from the street to the front door because of the vegatation.

6. View of the house from side/rear. These windows are where the dining room was at that time.

7. Another rear view with the view of the Puget Sound and Vancouver Islands in the background. Aunt Susan is explaining where the fire pit that my great grandmother built was in the back yard.

8. Statue in the town of Langley. Very quaint artsy little town.

9. View of the dock in the town of Coupeville (similar to Langley, but a little more friendly and less "uppity") I learned a great deal about Orcas inside this little building waiting for the restroom. I never knew there were resident and migrating species or variations in how carnivorous they are.

10. View of the Coupeville shoreline from the dock.

11. Family on the ferry to Port Townsend.

12. View from the Ferry to Port Townsend (warning: a lot of references to Port Townsend ahead. It wasn't my favorite locality, but it was when I actually used my camera more)

13. Weirdest birds ever. These little guys would sit patiently waiting for the ferry to come along in the water and then dive down. After the ferry passed, they'd pop back up.

14. View from the upper deck of the ferry to the car deck below.

15. Ferry docking ahead in Port Townsend.


16. Seagull perched at the top of the ferry parking poles. I never saw him move. I suspect the State of Washington pays him to sit there and make the arrival more surreal.

17. Barnacles on the bottom of the poles the gull is perched upon.

18. Architecture in Port Townsend.



19. More of the same.


20. And, again (car was timed well - the town did seem to be from a bygone era)

21. Roadside garden in downtown Port Townsend. Flowers grow SO well out there.