Two Steps Forward . . .

So, this is my first blog post in over a year.  I've been wanting to blog again for a long time because it provides a nice catharsis for me and I also find myself extremely amusing on re-reading, but I haven't been able to do it again until now.
It's like when you know you should call your aunt or grandmother or old friend(all of which are things I actually should do) but you wait longer and longer and the way the conversation will go in your head gets more and more awkward and guilt-ridden until you've scared yourself out of it.  I'm not the only one whose social anxiety extends to this level, right?
Anyway, it's like that.  I kept thinking, "How will I explain my extended absence from my legions of adoring followers who surely, by now, have turned a cold and disgruntled shoulder toward my ever-increasingly out-dated and irrelevant musings?"  And then I thought, "Oh, wait, I was describing someone else entirely in that thought process and none of those concerns apply to me so there's nothing stopping me from starting up again without anyone having realized that I'd ever been away at all".

So, here I am!  A force to be reckoned with.  A juggernaut of incisive thoughts and hilarious anecdotes that will surely encapsulate the feelings of generation and go down in history as one of the pointedly honest journals of our time!

Here's a cat . . .

Wait . . . . It's Cold Outside?

Well, not quite, but after a summer that seemed to last forever, it certainly FEELS cold.  Sorry I haven't added a new post in a long time.  Lots of things going on.  Captain # 1 has a new album coming out in the next few weeks and I've been working on the album art.  I've also been running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to figure out wedding stuff.  Tim has barricaded himself in the music room in order to finish the album before our big tour in a couple of weeks, and I've been making scarves like crazy.

Here are some scarves . . .

 

Notice how in most of the pictures I'm looking wistfully out the window?  That's just how I look all the time.

Pictures of Mushrooms!

Literally, this is just a bunch of pictures of the mushrooms I found in my front yard before I mowed them over and destroyed most of them.  They were pretty cool looking before I did that.  Also, I found a blue jay feather.  Why am I so attracted to very normal natural occurrences?

2 Things I've been making . . .

Pom Poms!  I've always thought these were pretty and thought about having them for our wedding so I figured I would try to make some myself.  I think they turned out pretty cute.

And . . . t-shirts for our softball team!  I think the design turned out pretty well.  I especially love the little Turducken logo underneath.  We're thinking of getting hats made too.

Okay, those are the two things I've been making.  Here's a cat.  I guess she was hot.  I told her it wasn't ladylike but she just glared at me.

You Should Be Jealous of All My Shiny New Things

You really should.  Okay, let's get started here . . .

First, my engagement ring.  It's totally an owl.  Like, a giant rhinestone owl head.  You may think I'm lying but you can see it in the picture right there.  And that's my hand, completely unlike any other hand so now you must know I'm telling the truth.  At first I was skeptical, but the more I thought about it and wore the ring around the more I realized how perfect it is.  He looks kind of fierce but I think he's just protecting my honor in case Tim isn't around.  Also, if you angle his head up he looks really sweet.  I won't tell you what Tim paid for him but in Barnes and Noble paycheck terms after taxes it equals out to about 3 months salary.

I also like him because he matches the white tiger t-shirt I found at the Goodwill today.  $2!!  I think Rilke-cat was jealous because I've been wearing it for about 2 hours and it already has black cat hair all over it.

And on to . . .

Okay, this isn't quite "new".  I've had it for about a month but I can't believe I haven't blogged about yet because it's super awesome.  Gaze upon the amazing vintage table I found on Craigslist for $30.  $30!!!!!  I know that's a lot of exclamation marks but we saw basically the same table at a vintage store for $200!!  It's got a very 50s red and white painted tin top and a cute little drawer which I haven't decided what to put in yet.

I've tried to accessorize it with complementary colors like turquoise and yellow.  I've made myself a bright little cozy spot in the kitchen.  It's a great little spot to use the laptop because I'm not tempted to watch an entire season of "Say Yes to the Dress" on Netflix. 

I also put my Rilke painting up there because the colors match so well with those cute Target canisters my Mom got on clearance for like $3.  Aside: (Kathleen Thompson, if you're reading this, that glass juicer in the middle is for you so you better not have one already!)

Lastly, a big shiny thing . . .

We bought a new car!  Exciting and scary at the same time!  Monthly payments=Scary.  Operating vehicle excellent for scavenger hunting=Exciting!  Thanks to my Uncle Rick who bled the salesman dry and squeezed every last bit of profit from that car to get us a better deal.  I think it's so cute.  It's a Kia Rondo.  I just used Wikipedia to look up the word "Rondo" and it turns out its a musical term which is appropriate since we'll mostly be towing instruments in its spacious back seat/trunk.  Amazingly it seat like 7 or 8 people if you squeeze in real close and I'm pretty sure my Mom plans on every inch of that space being filled with screaming grandchildren.  We were thinking more of vintage furniture and guitar amps.

Okay, that's all for now.  Try not to be too envious of all my great stuff.  I know it's hard.

And the Winner Is . . .

Missy!

I thought yours was the cutest/most hilarious suggestion.  I just keep picturing Rilke (our cat) licking her way out of all that frosting and her black fur getting all covered.  I'll drop off the book sometime in the next week.

Also, Sara, yours was a runner up.  I almost went with it, but decided that it might fall under the category of torturing both the cat and the guests.  Besides, all of my bridesmaid's are in lifetime relationships.  Or can anyone catch the bouquet?  Hm, I need to brush up on my wedding etiquette.

Thanks to everyone who posted an idea.  I'll be back soon to show off my awesome engagement ring and hopefully (keep your fingers crossed) our new car!

PS  I totally missed that that postcard above said "A Happy Christmas" but it makes me love it even more.

What?! and Seriously?! and Another Contest

Big news, big news people.  This has nothing to do with crafting really but it's such big news I have to share it.  I'm engaged!  Like, getting married engaged.  I've felt all butterfly-y and girl-like since Tim proposed on Friday.  Yep, the old man even got down on one knee.  Who knew my life would become a Rob Reiner movie from the mid- 1980s?  I don't know, but I'm feeling pretty good right now.


And yes, this is definitely the wedding dress I will be wearing.  Definitely.  I do like those Christmas lights.  Plus, I think the lace top really adds to the whole effect.  Plus, I like the idea of the train incorporating either a battery pack or a green power chord trailing off the back.  Classy.


Okay, onto the contest which I'm completely making up as I write this.  I'll start by telling you about the prize to give myself more time to think about it.  My friend Kathleen at Lark Books sent me this awesome volume called Craft Corps by Vickie Howell.  If you're involved in the crafting community, whether you buy or sell crafts online, tour regional craft fairs, or just have a local quilting group that you love, you should definitely check out this book.  It's a really fascinating view into the lives and techniques of other crafters as well as the crafting community as a whole.  And I'm giving you the opportunity to get a copy for FREE.  FREE, I tell you!






Here's the thing I thought up in the last 3 minutes:

Think of the most creative and non-tortuous way we can use our cat (pictured) in our wedding.  Whoever has the best idea will get a FREE, FREE I say, copy of this book.  And by FREE I mean that I will send you this book without you having to pay a dime, even for shipping.  I'm including shipping!  Or, I could just hand it to you when I see you because if you're reading this I probably know you.  I will decide whose is the most creative because as you know, I am an authority on such things.  Okay, go be creative.  Go!