tiny visitor

Yesterday afternoon, I was in the family room, hanging wet laundry on the drying rack.  I glanced over and saw what looked like a tangle of thread on the carpet under the coffee table. 

 

There's always thread on the floor here. 

 

I went to the laundry room for more cloths and, when I came back, the thread had moved to the side of the love seat. 

This was a new one.  I walked closer to investigate the magical moving thread.

Clearly, I need a stronger contact prescription. 

 

You may be surprised to find out that I was less upset to find a lizard on my sofa than I would have been if it was a bug of the same size.  Lizards are a little cute, almost.  People keep them as pets.  Nobody gets their kid a millipede for Christmas. 

 



It wasn't difficult to get my new friend outside.  It was a bit harder to get him to let go of the orange cup, which he was clinging to as if his life depended on it.  I finally had to fling him off and send him sailing across the yard.  Not how I usually like to say goodbye to a guest, but he was uninvited. 

 

Is anyone else thrilled to pieces that it's Friday?  We have a busy weekend ahead, but it's a different kind of busy than the weekdays, so I don't mind.  Plus, busy with Steve is a thousand times better than busy apart.

I hope you're able to make the most of this last September weekend!  



happy cariversary

Well, we made it!  Today marks one full year of car sharing!  In honor of the big day, I'd like to thank some of the people who made this milestone possible:

First and foremost- Steve.  He's just so darn easy to share with. 

The Charlotte Area Transit System.  On days that I need the car, I drop Steve at the light rail station in the morning and he rides the train into the city for work.  Then he calls when he's coming home and I head back to the station to pick him up. 

Our out-of-town family and friends.  You know who you are.  You know that we plan oil changes and other car maintenance around your visits so that we can make use of your wheels. 

Our local friends, who are always such good sports about coming to pick me up, meeting at our house, or running me to the fabric store. 

Our mail lady.  At least once a week, she leaves a big box of fabric on the front porch for me.  At least twice a week, I leave boxes of finished products for her to take away to their new homes.  It's a great system we have, she and I.  The other day I chuckled to myself and thought, "She's my most valuable employee and she doesn't even know it."  I'll have to give her a nice Christmas bonus. 



So we're feeling pretty celebratory.  Steve took some victory jumps in front of the car this morning before he left for work. (This just confirmed what I have long suspected- Steve really is the most fun person to be married to.)  At this point, we still don't have plans to purchase another vehicle and are just going to keep doing what we've been doing.  If it ain't broke...

 

I've been sewing up a storm this week and neglecting lots of other stuff.  Except for yesterday actually, when, like a true Renaissance woman, I simultaneously made soup and mowed the lawn.  I was pretty proud and looking forward to soup for lunch today is a perfect reward for my hard work. 

 

Tomorrow I'll be back to share a few peeks of what I've been working on!

we'll decorate for your wedding, even if you don't ask us to

We had the loveliest weekend with my mom.  The weather couldn't have been better and we spent 90% of our waking hours outside.  We took Mom to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens for the first time and I think she loved it as much as we hoped she would. 

As no trip to the gardens is complete without a party banner, we brought the newest one along with us.  The White Garden (our favorite spot) happened to be set up for a wedding, so we got some super cool pictures there.  A man walked by and asked if we were part of the wedding, (a legitimate question, since we were actually decorating the space at the time) and we said no.  He seemed a little confused. 

Steve and I always get really inspired to work on our own yard when we visit a big garden and it affected Mom the same way.  It's so pleasant there, you just want to take it home with you. 

I mean, literally, I wanted to take it home with me.  I kept wishing there was a (legal) way that I could take cuttings from some of their plants and root them at home.  You know I've been having great luck with rooting cuttings and they had so many varieties of flowers that I can't find in a store!

The whole weekend went by in a blur of flowers and coconut macaroons and sitting on the patio and frozen yogurt.  It was over way too fast. 

Today, among other tasks, I am making room in the cabinets for my birthday gift from Mom- a beautiful set of monogrammed glasses, plus a matching pitcher. 

Later this week I'll show you pictures of the project that the three of us worked on over the weekend- some new product tags!  They are so cute that I am tempted to start tagging everything in the house, just for fun. 

letter to our old range

Our goodbye today was quicker than I anticipated.  Those delivery guys sure know how to move appliances around efficiently.  I didn't even get to watch you go out the front door, as I was too busy vacuuming the spot where you'd been (#compulsivecleaner). 

I don't want you to think that our parting was personal.  You did the best you could.  Together, we made gallons and gallons of soup.  We baked turkeys and hams and cakes and pies.  Last winter, we roasted chestnuts more times than I can count. 

You had your quirks, but I had learned to live with them.  I knew that your back was hotter than your front and therefore I would need to flip everything around halfway through baking so that one side didn't get charred. 

I tried so hard to keep your darn drip trays clean, but it seems like you needed new ones every year.  And somehow, even though we'd tried to remember, we always ended up buying the wrong size or the wrong brand and having to return them at least once before we got a good fit. 

Not to make comparisons, but the new range doesn't need drip trays.  It just has this shiny, wipable surface with things like a warming zone and speed heat and adjustable burner sizes.  Speed heat?!  I don't even really know what it's for, but gosh does it sound exciting. 

The new range is so big on the inside that I could bake a turkey AND sweet potatoes at the same time.  And I'm not trying to brag, but I could probably fit the stuffing in with them. 

It has this large front window so that you can actually see what you're baking without opening the door.  You know I've read that opening the oven door lets out a lot of heat?  Sad, but true.  Now I can watch our dinner bake like it's a TV show. 

Incidentally, when you do decide to open the door, the light automatically comes on.  I know- it's like an oven of the future!

So really, there's no need to feel bad.  It is an oven of the future.  It's  21st century appliance and I'll admit it- I'm smitten.  I've never had a 21st century appliance before.  I'll bet the refrigerator and dishwasher are feeling real nervous right about now.  (Don't say anything yet, but the dishwasher is actually being let go next Monday.  Maybe you guys can meet up.)

We had a good run.  Farewell, old friend. 

the joy of libraries

One important item on our beach trip preparation list was a visit to the library. 

I just love the library. 

I also love to read on the beach.  I like to take at least five books, just in case I want to read a whole one every day.  I almost never do, but it's nice to be prepared. 

But there's more than just books!  Magazines make perfect beach reading, because sometimes there is way too much going on to focus on a book.  I have been saving all the magazines that came in the mail this month, specifically to enjoy on this trip.  I picked up a few more at the library to round out the group. 

Steve and I checked out the movie section and ended up with a stack of six that we wanted to see.  We narrowed it down to two, but plan to go back later for the rest.  The library is a great place to find older movies, which is something we have trouble finding, being primarily RedBox movie-watchers. 

Sometimes I'm just amazed that there is this place where I can go to get books and magazines and movies- all for free!  It seems like there should be a catch or something. 

I'm probably working my way through my stack of books as you read this, but don't worry- I always try really hard not to get sand in them.   

the best burgers

If you're a vegetarian, you'll probably want to skip this post.  Meat lovers, read on. 

Several weeks ago, Steve and I got a meat grinder attachment for our KitchenAid mixer.  I already like it way more than I thought I would. 

So far, all we've done with it is grind beef for burgers, but each time, they've been the best burgers I've ever had.  We buy a mixture of sirloin and chuck steak to get a good meat to fat ratio.  Then the beef needs to be cut into smaller pieces.

The pieces get dropped into the grinder and pushed down with the fancy pusher that came with it.  I put my mixer on speed 6 and it seems to be the right speed for beef. 

The ground beef comes out of the front and we catch it in a big bowl.  It only takes about five minutes to grind two pounds of beef. 

To keep the burgers tender, I try not to handle the meat very much.  I drop it in little clumps on a cutting board and gently push it together to make patties.  A little salt and pepper on each side is all the seasoning these burgers need.

I haven't tried cooking fresh ground burgers on the grill yet.  Because I don't handle the meat a lot, the burgers are pretty loose and I worry that they would fall apart.  And I've never liked burgers cooked inside, so I know what you're thinking, but trust me- they taste amazing cooked in the skillet on the stove. 

I cook them about five or six minutes per side and only flip once.  You don't have to worry about cooking burgers as thoroughly when you grind the meat yourself, so this would be a great option for people who like a rare burger. 

Our second group of house guests are on their way home and I'm headed out to the grocery store now to stock up on food for the next crew, who are arriving in 48 hours.  We'll be serving burgers, among other things.  I'll check back in on Friday before the next round of fun starts to share some other things I've been working on!



Adventures in car sharing

If you've been keeping track, you may already realize this, but Steve and I are quickly barreling towards the nine month mark of car sharing.  I know- even I was a little shocked when I calculated it out. 

If you don't know the story and are currently wondering if this is some weird social experiment, let me assure you that it is not.  The story is pretty simple, really- we used to have two cars, and then one of them passed on (she was sixteen, so this was not unexpected).  We decided to take a few weeks to figure out what type of vehicle to get next.  But instead of figuring out what to get next, we found ourselves calculating how much we could save by only owning one car.  We also found ourselves being more purposeful with our weekly planning and learning the train schedule by heart.  (And yes, sometimes we found ourselves fantasizing about stealing shopping carts and sleeping on benches, but that was a low moment.)

So we decided to share, for as long as it seemed reasonable.  Steve learned exactly how long it takes to get from the train station to his desk at work.  I learned exactly how long it takes to power walk to Food Lion and back when I've forgotten an important recipe ingredient (I've also learned how to make do without important recipe ingredients). 

One day, we realized that we'd been sharing a car for six months.  Six months!  It had gotten so easy, we almost didn't even think about it.  At that point, we set a goal: one year of car sharing.  We were already halfway there! 

On Sunday evenings, we powwow and look over the schedule for the week to decide who is driving each day.  I try to schedule any appointments on one or two days, and then plan to do any errand-running on those days as well.  Steve takes the car all the other days.  I'm super thankful to have a business that I can run (mostly) without leaving the house!  I have fabric delivered right to my door and ship everything from home. 

Sometimes, Steve takes the camera to work with him and brings home cool pictures.  I love it because it's like he's bringing the outside world to me and I can see what's going on beyond our backyard. 

Bottom line: car sharing isn't for everyone, but it sure is working out great for us!  If you're wondering what our plan is when we hit the one year mark, the answer is- we don't know!  Buy a car?  Keep sharing?  Go on a road trip to celebrate?  We'll see!

I'm so excited about this weekend.  We've got some old friends coming to stay, plus the Kentucky Derby on Saturday!  I'll be back Monday with pictures from our Derby party.  Hope your favorite horse wins!

10,000 steps

If you've seen Steve or I lately, you may have noticed that we have been wearing a pedometer.  We only have one, so we take turns wearing it.  I keep it clipped to my pocket and Steve clips it to his belt and it looks a bit like a pager. 

Wouldn't that be cool, if I had a pager in 2012?  Although sometimes I feel like admitting that I have a regular old cell phone without a texting plan is something akin to owning a pager. 

Our goal is 10,000 steps each day.  We usually make it.  We had read that 10,000 steps is appropriate for an active, healthy person.  We both strive to be active, healthy people. 

But Steve has an office job and only gets to walk on his breaks and I spend hours on end sitting at the sewing machine, so I was skeptical at first about how many steps we were taking. 

I have been pleasantly surprised at how many steps it takes to complete my regular weekly tasks.  On laundry and sheet changing day, I go up and down the stairs several times with each load.  Laundry is about 1,000 steps. 

Grocery shopping is about 1,000 steps as well.  I thought it would be more, but I'm obviously a very efficient shopper. 

Mowing the lawn is a big ticket item at about 4,000 steps.  It's super easy to reach my goal on lawn mowing day. 

And the walk that we usually take after dinner helps a lot.  Walking our neighborhood (about half an hour) is around 3,000 steps. 

10,000 steps is about five miles and I love the thought that I'm walking five miles each day!  Wearing the pedometer is a great reminder to be active, so I'll pace the house while I make phone calls, or park extra far from the store to get a few more steps in. 

I try to set mini goals throughout the day to make sure I'm on track.  It's almost noon and I've taken 3269 steps so far, so I'm doing pretty well.  Which is great, because I have yet to figure out a way to simultaneously walk and blog. 

the astronauts of crafting

Hello friends!  Did you have a good weekend?  Ours was lovely and felt super spring-like, which made it even better. 

Have you noticed that old book pages seem to be the background of choice this spring?  I keep seeing them at Anthropologie, in the Land's End catalogue- everywhere!  Since Steve and I take a lot of pictures, both for fun and for the shop, we decided to make some weathered looking pages of our own for backdrops. 

We bought a book from the dollar rack outside Books-A-Million.  As we were standing in line to pay, I commented to Steve, "this book will be perfect for tearing up."  At this point, I got distracted by something on display near the register, but Steve claims that both the woman in front of us and the cashier looked in our direction as if we'd just admitted to drowning kittens.  So then he replied, "Yes, this book will be great for our craft project.  It's just the thing we needed for our craft project."  And I said, "Why do you keep saying "craft project" so loud?" 

So, back at home, where we can tear up books without being judged, we made some strong tea and tried several methods of staining the pages.  I was worried about them getting wrinkled, so I mostly dipped the edges.  Steve did a few full submersions, because he's brave like that. 

(Incidentally, the book was about sushi.  A whole book about sushi?!  Who could blame us for using it for something other than reading?)

We let the pages dry overnight, but were sad to find that the tea stains faded a lot as they dried.  I think we'll try something else to get a darker color.  Soy sauce?  Balsamic vinegar?  Shoe polish?

Today I am sewing like crazy as I try to finish some more items in my spring line.  It is a lot of fun and a lot of work.  Our goal is to have a photo shoot this coming weekend, which means I only have four more days to finish up! 

book report

I rarely buy books without reading them first.  We don't have unlimited bookshelf space and I want to make sure each book is worth its width on the shelf, so to speak. 

So you can take it as a glowing recommendation that as soon as I finished my library copy of "One Thousand Gifts", I decided to purchase it immediately.  It is a book with so much truth on every page, I knew I'd need to read it at least a dozen times over, just to take it all in. 

The main idea behind the book is so simple, you'd almost wonder how it could fill up all those pages: thanksgiving.  In everything.  All the time.  Everywhere. 

And this-

"The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world."

This makes me want to keep trying hard and honing my focus and couldn't I be a change agent?  Wouldn't I love to bring more Light to the world? 

Yes and yes. 

The author, Ann Voskamp, starts keeping a list of all the gifts and it changes everything for her.  She counts up to one thousand and then keeps counting because she just can't stop. 

And I know how she feels because I've started my own list.  What used to just be four red cardinals in a tree becomes #42.  I love red cardinals- what a treat to see so many at the same time.  What used to be a day wasted by sickness and lack of energy becomes #72- having quiet time to plan out new sewing projects. 

You see how it goes. 

The more I look for things to give thanks for, the more things I find...

#9- the smell of chestnuts roasting in the oven

#34- a baby bouncing and wiggling with joy

#69- every single sale in my shop

They're stacking up like planes over Kennedy and I can't stop and I don't want to stop.  The thankful life is the full life. 

So my recommendation?  Read it.  Then do something about it.  Because I will warn you, it's the type of book that requires action.