Just Make Stuff

"I'm on vacation"...

We have had a long running joke with Sean's parents about being on vacation when we're visiting each other...they were with us from Wednesday morning until the crack of dawn this morning so I've been on vacation...here's the iPhone camera documentation...

Our time together included...

A little Skype-ing with my brother-in-law, sister-in-law & niece in Iowa.

Introducing my mother-in-law to lots of apps for her iPhone.

A trip to LA for french dip sandwiches my father-in-law wanted to try. 

A new counter top for the wet-bar which means no more useless sink.

The flowers Sean's grandpa brought me when he came over for dinner.

Two trips for fabric & sewing supplies. Mac & Sean's mom were busy.

A rainbow after a big rainstorm.

BBQ chicken dinner with green beans and scalloped potatoes.

And a long needed haircut for Sean.

I am very lucky to have married into a great little family. I can't wait until we're all together again this summer.

Ten on Tuesday...

1. I was alerted that my Google Reader feed wasn't working (thank Jen) and now I seemed to fix it by posting everything from the last couple weeks all at once...sorry about that.

2. I have a headache...nothing horrible since I am used to living my life resigned to the darn things...still annoying though as I try to get stuff done.

3. Had dinner together again...leftover spaghetti...this time we were all grumpy...not quite as wonderful as yesterday.

4. Sean's parents arrive tomorrow morning...I have managed to leave the rest of the house alone.

5. Except than mantle...I HAD to do something with it.

6. These were randomly growing in our currently barren backyard so they had to come inside to make me happy...

7. My gerontology class has done a wonderful job of freaking me out about getting old. Not in a bad way though...more like an empowering realization that we really need to prepare for this stuff.

8. Tomorrow night we're having dinner here...I've been thinking about hot dogs and onion rings all week.

9. In case you were wondering my mom has a tree with the best lemons ever in the history of the universe. Mac isn't feeling well and asked for tea with lemon and honey tonight which meant a trip to my mom's (0.7 miles away) for a couple...she sent them home with eight.

10. My grad school statement of purpose is done.  I'm going to sleep on it and then add it to my application tomorrow. As I said in an e-mail to my sister-in-law yesterday that my goal was something "memorably endearing and strikingly articulate" hopefully I accomplished that. Regardless I cannot wait to hit that submit button tomorrow.

Today...

Mac was off from school so that meant his room was filled with life...at least three different craft projects were going on while the constant thumping bumping radio reminded me that I really am getting old.

I reminded myself that vegetables aren't so bad as a snack. Especially when you put them on cute plates. I like to make up a little coleslaw dressing (mayo, a little sugar and a dash of cider vinegar) to help make a pile of carrots seem much more tasty...I snapped a photo towards the end of devouring the heap...

I gathered stuff to try to have the fireplace mantle looking a little more cheery when my in-laws get here...not quite done, but better than it's been.

We had dinner together...which we do most nights but we're often guilty of eating with the TV on (my mom is cringing right now as one of the cardinal rules I was raised with was no TV during dinner) tonight it was just us and the spaghetti. Which really is much better...as usual my mom is right.

Mac went to musical theater class and Sean and I headed out on a windy night to take a walk...which helped me brainstorm that whole grad school statement of purpose that is still waiting to be filled in on the application. I have everything else completely done except for this one thing. Of course I'm panicking and creating all kinds of unnecessary pressure. Need to get over myself and just freaking write.

A case of the Sunday nights...

I just proclaimed my hatred for Sunday night to Sean...as I pretty much do every Sunday night as we rush around trying to finish everything up.

Especially this weekend since my extremely kind and completely non-judgmental in-laws are coming to visit this week. I have the compulsion that everything has to be perfect even though I know after the last twelve years that they truly could care less about how the dining room hutch looks or that that Mac's room never got rearranged the way I wanted.

But heck, I still can't get over the fact that they actually seemed to really like me when they met me those twelve years ago. Keep in mind their son showed up with a new girlfriend who had a one year old child...the least I can do is futz with the house.

So besides alphabetizing canned goods in the pantry, I did the random drawing for the Catslife Press stamps...did you know they have an app for that?

#24 Sally said...
thanks for your blog - I read it daily. Love the stamps too.......
February 19, 2010 at 11:20 AM

Sally please e-mail me your address so the stamps can be sent on their way.

And so this post isn't quite as boring, here's a layout I made with one of the stamps...

 

I just heard how pompous I sounded. As if a layout from me makes anything less boring. Clearly all the super kind things you guys commented in my last post went to my head. :)

Oh and I didn't really alphabetize the pantry...but they don't arrive until Wednesday so who knows what I'll decide MUST be done...

1...2...3...4...5...

Five years ago I needed to make a Valentine's gift for Sean and decided to try making a blog...a clandestine place on the Internet where we could leave little notes to each other.

When I signed up with Typepad I decided to hit the button that would give me not one, but three blogs.

So a few days after Valentine's day I sat down and decided to give this a try...I would have never guessed with that first post that there would be 1170 more.

This thing has stored my memories, my craft projects, my random thoughts, my frustrations and the little life details that would have long since been forgotten.

I scanned over the whole thing the other night and found some of my favorite entries...

First let's get it out of the way. THAT night...It's certainly not my favorite but it's an astounding example of how this blog helped me get through hell and back.

Of course before that night there was the decision...love how I basically worked through my whole thought process as I wrote the entry. Oh do I remember that feeling of certainty and excitement to move forward.

One of my favorite parts was seeing posts from when we were on trips...in Ireland...seeing Sean run the Portland marathon...relaxing weekend getaways...or with family in Iowa rainstorms

Celebrating anniversaries by telling stories from our past...Mac's birth...how I started scrapbooking...my first date with Sean...our engagement...and sharing new stories like renewing our vows

Some of my other favorite posts are about Mac or his birthday parties...really good gifts from Sean (still use it everyday)...silly traditions...worrying about school (now that I know it's worked out so far)...endless house projects...and crafts and more crafts

Sick of me yet?

I am so let's wrap this up with the most important thing...

Thank you.

Thank you for reading this today, yesterday and hopefully tomorrow.

For taking your time to join in on my little life...for every single comment...your kindness, support, and encouragement has meant more than words could ever truly convey.

I wanted to have an extra special giveaway to say thank you so I decided someone needs my five favorite stamps...Susan at Catslife has them all packaged up and ready to be send out...

 

Please leave a comment if you need them. :)

Can't wait for the next five years...

I will now mist everything...

There was a time that I inked everything little bit of everything within an inch of it's life. I fell prey to the trend.

Actually I've pretty much fallen prey to every scrapbook trend, but I'm okay with that. Even with the decorative scissor attacks of 1997. I tell myself that they are merely components of an crafty evolution.

After all, how boring would it be if I had hundreds upon hundreds of layouts with a consistent style and unwavering dedication to similarity?

So in keeping with my trendiness I hopped on a new bandwagon today.

Mist

Combine that with my current obsession with punches and now nothing is safe (especially my bathroom counter top because this stuff is messy).

I made this layout yesterday...

And made a couple of cards today...
 
 

Oh and then there's the giveaway for my other new obsession that I shared the other day. I asked Mac to give me a random number between 1 & 27 before he just went to bed and he said #15 so the garland goes to...

kristine s said...
oh yes i would love it
February 16, 2010 at 08:52 AM

Kristine please e-mail me your address.

Look for another giveaway on Friday. A really good one.

Ten on Tuesday...

I always like these blog posts (when I read them here and here and here) so I thought I'd start giving it a try...

1. I just made brownies...I had no business doing that

2. The bangs I got last month are officially a little too long so I am left with the decision if I should recommit to another few weeks of bangs or start the growing out process...big decision

3. In regards to actual big decisions I met with one of my Mom's colleagues tonight (who has been teaching at a local university for years) and he wisely suggested I look up every community college in the area and see if they are consistently hiring people with Master's degrees or is it increasingly PhD's? If they're not hiring then my plan is to look into employment in higher education administration and a master's degree in that.

4. Did I mention applications are due March 1st?

5. I would much rather talk about brownies...did you know they slice much better with a plastic knife? I think my brother taught me that.

6. We keep a orange plastic knife in out kitchen utensil drawer just to cut brownies.

7. Today was a furlough day at school due to budget cuts...I spent the day scrapbooking...

8. I have successfully taken a photo a day like the layout says (with this app)...really hope I can get to 365...here's todays photo...it's a detail from another layout I made...

 

9. I'll share the other layouts throughout the rest of the week and then on Friday I have a fun little blog celebration planned

10. It's hard to get to ten things...even when three of them are about brownies.

You have to do this...

Okay this is far from an original idea at this point but this weekend I made my first sewn garland. You punch out a bunch of scalloped circles and get out your sewing machine...or go buy one or something because you just have to do this...

I had this done in just over a half hour and that was with my sewing machine crawling along on the slowest setting since I was too scared to have it go any faster.

I made it as decoration for a little afternoon tea get together with my friend who's having the baby (that we made the burp rags for)

And since I'm officially addicted I made one to giveaway...

 

Please leave a comment if you'd like it sent to your house...

Our Valentine's Day

Just had to make a video...

Some notes...

The song is "Everybody" by Ingrid Michaelson...like at Christmas it was totally another song I really wanted to record memories with

These pancakes are the best thing ever

Mac thought of getting me super fuzzy heart patterned pajama pants as a gift...which ties with the pancakes for being the best thing ever

And yes he is wearing a Member's Only jacket...someone in Bryce's family got it for him as a Christmas gift and it's pretty much worn every day...with a vest underneath

And here's the recipe for Cheese Fondue...again the best thing ever

Hearts...

Just a little bit of Valentine crafts from around here...

We broke out an old Sizzix die for Mac's school Valentines...Sean helped with the sewing (I tried and couldn't get around those curves to save my life) and then we pinned on a little stamped tag.

Some of the extra hearts ended up as ornaments on the tree in our entryway...

 

 

Hope you have a weekend filled with hearts and all kinds of other lovey-dovey stuff... 

Hideout...

I would much rather be able to come to school, take my classes and drive home but that's not the way my schedule works this semester. I only have two classes on campus (one more online) yet I'm here from 8:30am until 2:30pm.

However I am starting to embrace my time in between classes tucked away in a library cubicle...

 

Eat lunch (which I'm sure you're not supposed to have food) and read blogs, exchange our usual daily e-mails with my sister-in-law, put on headphones and listen to music.

My hideout is actually pretty relaxing...but now I have to get to class...

What's really going on...

I have always tried to be authentic on this whole blog thing.

Granted I'm not necessarily going to subject someone who is reading this to every life issue blow by blow, however it's important to me that people never have the misconception about what's truly going on around here...and it isn't all happy little scrapbook pages. 

So truth be told I have been a moody mess for the last couple of months and here are a couple of the culprits...

Some of it has been medical since my Thyroid has been off (I've been on medication for almost ten years) and hopefully it's getting close to normal since it has helped make me forgetful, weepy and stuck in a hormonal purgatory for weeks on end. Oh and I won't even talk about weight right now...that's a whole other discussion.

Another main issue has been a crisis of confidence about graduate school. I've spent the last couple of months panicked that I have no definitive purpose in my life. I have finally decided at just about the last minute (the application is due March 1st) to go for it. Thankfully I've had my mom to help me reason my way through this freak out.

And just so there's a photo with this entry, here's the way my mantle has looked since Christmas...it's like a metaphor for my life right now...half finished, kind of neglected, but at least there's potential.

(I got the #3 at Anthropologie and picked up the "G" at Urban Outfitters)

Starred...

1. laundry..., 2. Valentine Vignette, 3. Untitled, 4. Dear Lizzy, 5. a lost groove..., 6. more, 7. love, love, love..., 8. Summery aqua blue bedroom: Neutrals + bright colors + 'Lido Green' by Benjamin Moore, 9. _MG_0403, 10. The Stacks, 11. Better Homes and Gardens Home Office decorating, 12. Store Tour: ici et la, 13. for Sew Mama Sew, 14. [10/365] bedside table, 15. Untitled, 16. Untitled, 17. Untitled, 18. without words...

I haven't done one in a few weeks so here's the latest favorites...

• Thought this was the cutest family idea
• Have always wanted to make pretzels...will probably make these next weekend and this dessert looked good too
• Around the house...I have always wanted a perfect linen closet...this makes me want to rearrange I just love the changing colors and details...loved this idea for the entryway...and how cool would it be to do this?
• Oh and speaking house stuff...this is one of the best craft rooms ever in my opinion
• Random craftiness...I want to crochet something like this...try to make one of these...and I think I could actually sew this
• How cute is would this little gift be? And these make me want to wrap something.
• These make me want to try to make business cards...not that I need them for anything.
• Some great scrapbooking here and here
• And can you imagine making this with paper? Wow.
• Finally...I love doilies.

Please don't hate me...

With this layout my scrapbooks are officially caught up...

 

Besides adding to a Christmas book each year, I keep an ongoing book for Mac and one for me. Mine doubles as our family book and over the years I've filled 10 of them so I recently ordered myself another album. Which meant I needed a title page for book number 11 (here's #10, #9, and #8). The first thing I thought of when sitting down to make this page was that it's ridiculous that I've filled basically 11 books about myself so that's how it got titled.

 

The last time I was caught up on scrapbook layouts (two years ago) I actually made a layout about it. I don't plan on doing that this time...I'm just going to enjoy knowing I don't have photos piled up waiting...at least for right now.

Because give it a week and that photo pile is going to start to grow.

Technology...

I finished the layout I started last week...it was just a little documentation about how much Mac has grown and changed this year...

One thing I mentioned in the layout was the addition of technology in his life...getting a cell phone and learning how to use the computer.

And speaking of technology I learned how to Skype this weekend...which meant I got to visit with good friends. One took me around her townhouse in Washington D.C. and even went outside for a second in bare feet to show me all the snow they got this weekend. Then Sean and I got to talk with friends up north that we haven't seen in a couple of years...I was literally in tears I was so happy.

The other bit of technology I decided to try out earlier today is Formspring...I added a link over to the left in case you have any questions.

Oh and there's Tumblr too, but I haven't totally figured that one out yet.

If only I could really sew...

A good friend of mine is having her first baby in a few weeks and I wanted to make sure she had something functional...and cute. 

My mom taught me to be a big believer in using cloth diapers as burp rags. Oh do they remind me of feeding a little tiny McIntosh way too many years ago...

Since they are very utilitarian I had to try to make them cute...so some pink and brown fabrics, some Wonder Under, and some stitching. And some enormous help from Sean since he is far better at cutting and sewing straight.

 

I was able to use my inevitably wonky cutting and sewing skills to stitch together a little garland-ish thing to wrap around the gift with some of the leftover fabric.

Pretty sure I have yet another favorite way to wrap gifts now.

Even though I usually attempt the simplest sewing possible I am always too proud of myself when it's done. Makes me wish I could really sew.

Bag of happy...

That's what I said earlier today as I packed up some new ribbon I had to have and some woodgrain letters I'd been waiting for...

I cannot wait to use that thick, floral ribbon.

The other bit of happy today was sewing together these messy little blocks to wrap around a gift...

It's leftover fabric from the baby shower gift that I'll share tomorrow...

Eight photos...

All I've got from the last four days are iPhone photos...

1. My "master syllabus"...each week has everything I need to read/write for each of my three classes. I couldn't help but title it, "Spring Semester: The Last One".

2. The layout I started Monday that sits unfinished and buried in the mess that has grown on my desk.

3. Sitting in bed, reading for school.

4. Valentine's gifts to mail to my niece and sister...I put together little packs of supplies for them to make their own Valentine cards with.

5. The cute bags I found at Michaels for the Valentine's gifts.

6. Wednesday afternoon pedicure and stack of magazines. The hour that feels like a total vacation.

7. The photo I sent to Sean to show him the new addition to the front of the house. The guys that put it there claimed it would would be picked up in a couple of days. Sean and I were betting it would be here for weeks based on the pace of the projects around the neighborhood. Thankfully it was gone today.

8. The bottle of red wine we bought last night for tonight's dinner. I managed to knock it over and it cracked open all over the counter. Sean ran back to the store and we had a really good dinner tonight (sort of this recipe but I changed about a dozen things). 

Okay this weekend I promise I will have some craftiness to share...