Wow, this is such an awesome, easy curtain fix from justagirlblog.  I am, perhaps, overly sensitive because shopping for, hanging, or otherwise dealing with curtains in any way makes me crazy. 

Hello Old Friend

Between November and February (now), we have had event after event after event. As far as I can tell, so has everyone else! Roughly in order, we:

• Married off my brother to one of the nicest women I've ever met
• Bought a new house
• Got through Thanskgiving
• Painted the new house and moved in over a period of three or four weeks,
• Christmas and New Years
• Rotated all of us through a really terrible 2 week long cold
• Had historic amounts of snow (Check out the awesome video below. I don't know who these guys are, but they RULE)

In any case, it's been a crazy few months, but I think we are all starting to feel settled. My husband and my friend Meg were nice enough to get my craft room mostly set up for me with shelves (IKEA!) and a folding table. Honestly, though, I'm not loving the folding table for sewing. It's too light and wobbly for sewing, so I will probably need to find something else. Though so far, all I've actually sewn are some example patchwork covers for a friend's microwave sock thing.

Tomorrow, however, all that changes! Tomorrow, I am taking a class at Cut & Sew Studio, basic alterations. Very excited about learning how to take in a blouse and hem slacks!

Mostly Pantry Dinner

I made tasty rice in my Neuro Fuzzy Logic rice cooker tonight, that I thought I would share.

(Also, hi! I've been trying to buy a house, nursing the menfolk back from swine flu, and then at a conference, and now home.)

I started by frying up:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small white onion
• 2 cloves of garlic

And put that into the rice cooker with:

• 1 'rice cooker cup' of rice
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 14-ounce can of veggie broth
• 1 14-ounce can of tomatoes

While that was rice cookering I boiled/microwaved up:

• 1 cup of multi colored carrots*
• 1 10-ounce package of sugar snap peas

and stirred those in at the end along with:

• the juice of 1 tangerine
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2-3 tsp smoked paprika
• another tsp grated ginger

Man it was good. I also fried some shrimp in vegetable oil and some curry powder for the side. Very yum.

Rustic Robots + a Monster

I have finally finished a present I promised to make my husband in February. The Rustic Robot quilt is complete! I learned several things during the making of this quilt. I hate working with homespun, though it was the perfect fabric for the look I was going for. I need to practice my machine quilting if I am going to try something other than stitch in a ditch. But it is very rustic, and very robot-tastic.

Love adorable rustic robots of love! They are RobotDog, LoveBot, and CrazyBot, in order. :)

It was very hard to finish because I got a new toy, and I am super into this Doodle Stitching embroidery that I posted about last time. I used my new toy to sketch up a few little doodles to stitch of my own. Here is my little monster guy that I stitched today. I have to figure out what I am going to do with them, other than basically sketching and then stitch-sketching. I have a super secret perfect messenger bag project I am planning, so perhaps that will involve a little monster or alien in the corner.

He was originally green, but I kinda like him in purple.

You can download a JPG of him and his little buddy the three eyed alien here.

Fun weekend!

stitchery

I picked up Doodle-Stitching: Fresh & Fun Embroidery for Beginners this weekend and I LOVE it. I am also happy to pick up a new hobby that I get all the stuff for a new project and it only costs me $20.

My first attempts were not awful, but my satin stitch needs some work. Also, I think I am going to pick up one of those pens that disappears with water instead of disappearing after a bit of time. Tracing with that paper is not as easy to see and rubs off too quickly.

In any case, it is fantastic. Her designs are really fun and the instructions are easy to understand. I think this is a great addition to my ever-growing library of crafting books.

Bags bags bags

My husband is often infuriated by the large number of handbags, totes, laptop bags and other "sacks which are appropriate to hold my stuff for different occasions". He is learning to get over it, as I love bags.

I have been coveting this bag for quite some time. I think it may be the handbag of my dreams. I'm not sure. I have the messenger bag in carbon black, but it is too small for my 15" mac book pro and seems like overkill for my day to day handbag and netbook needs. Perhaps I could work out a swap with someone.

I have the original flat Roots leather bag, which is fantastic. I have had occasional small problems with it (once I broke a clasp and currently one of the pockets is coming undone). I emailed customer service and mailed it in, and it came back fixed. I need to mail it back but I can't give it up without a new bag. I realize that is silly because I have a half dozen bags on the first floor and another bunch upstairs. But I can't do it. I think I may have a bag addiction.

I <3 Spock

For some inexplicable reason, my mother and my husband's mother were both desperate to babysit my son this weekend. I am not one to turn down a good thing, so double date weekend!

Saturday, we took our bikes out for a short ride (8.4 miles, if his GPS is correct). Today, we went out to see the new Star Trek movie, which I had been wanting to see. On the inside, I am a geek. And I guess I am happy to admit it.

Zachary Quinto is apparently from the neighborhood that my family lives in currently, and went to the college my husband and I attended. (Carnegie Mellon University).

It was such a happy weekend. The bike ride was relaxing and in beautiful weather. The new Star Trek movie was really good. My husband is completely analytical and I am really bad with logic, so I kind of totally identify with Spock's mother. Logical husband. Cute kid.

It hit me after leaving the movie, that the response from Domina was my favorite and most creative response. Congrats, Domina. I sent you some email earlier tonight. I hope you enjoy the earrings. I will mail them out soon.

And I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend and their families as much as I enjoyed mine.