Don't mean to hurt your felines...

The other night I wished a pox upon our cat. By the way, I'm home today because I didn't sleep a wink last night, and consequently felt like total crap this morning. Yep, I battled with the no-sleep demons until nearly 4am, then my alarm went of at 5:55...so I opted to stay home and rest insted of pushing it, and consequently getting sick for the next 2 busy weeks ahead.

Back to the kitty. She has periods when she's absolutely horrendous - unprovoked attacks, and she has bitten me hard enough to puncture the little meaty part near my thumb. This means she's the devil. So that one night, I kind of vented on Facebook, and I fear now the public might thing I'm going to kill, or at least severely maim, a cat before the end of 2010. No, no, no, I won't. But I will imagine what it would be like to hurl one off a skyscraper. Would it land on its feet? Aw, too bad.

She has cute moments. I think she read my Facebook status though, and realized she's on probation. The past 2 days she has been treating me like...well, like I'm the special kitty (she's smart!). She's all rubby and purry and following me around constantly and chattering at me like she's saying, "OMG LOVE your hair today! Where'd you get those cute shoes? Can I have a treat?"

So we are on speaking terms once more. I am considering having her declawed...yea, I'm well aware that it's not as accepted anymore and even considered cruel, but we've already sterilized her against her will even though the chances of her getting preggers were pretty much zero...so...you know...whatever. Besides, declawing her would increase her chances of survival as a serf in my kingdom. If she ruins a couch, then she can kiss my hospitality goodbye. Taking action to prevent such an unpleasant turn of events is actually kind, right?

Two in one and productivity to spare

Yes, the second post this evening. I'm taking uppers again, obviously. I usually detest Sundays, but today was exceptional. I suspect our upcoming move has me all jittery and motivated to do as much as possible. The morning started out fairly ordinary: Tim came home from night shift, and went to bed shortly after I was dressed. Sam and I had a massive and hilarious Lego session, in which we built rival school houses, his complete with guardian Knights. By lunchtime, I had started on my window project from my previous post.

After that, Sam and I made chocolate cupcakes...just for fun. They turned out delicious and moist and super chocolatey. And my big ass agrees. Geez, I need to run again. Anyway, after cleaning up the mixer, I didn't feel like making frosting, so I whisked a quick glaze, just enough to help the sprinkles stick:



By mid afternoon, I was Mod Podging away, while Tim and Sam played. I had a giant load of laundry going, and as soon as I cleaned up my project, I started on a quiche for dinner. It was amazing because I made it. Let's just be clear.

As I was washing up the quiche-making clutter, I noticed from our sink window that the leaves are starting to change.



Alright, this is a crappy picture. I should have just gone outside. If you look closely, the right side of those trees on the hill are bright red. The first signs of Fall usually give me a slight panic, because it means the Winter of Dread is coming. Every winter is the winter of my discontent. It also reminded me, once again, that we are MOVING...our tentative closing date is just around the bend, and we have much to do.

One of our most time consuming projects has been to clean out the office: Years of useless paperwork to sort, shred, and re-file. We are almost done, but are backed up on the shredding. When we move, I plan to keep our shredder on the desk top, as it is designed to be, and just keep up with it. We've filled bag after bag with shredder paper in the past week. It feels good, but it does get very tedious. I'm sitting here blogging, but also waiting for the shredder to cool down, so it will function once more (we overheat it in our zealous shredding)and I can finish up the last shred pile.

The laundry is clean and folded, and I plan to be in bed within the hour. Next week is a full and busy week at work. I also agreed to teach another session of the DDP. It's Wednesday evenings this year, and the pay rate went up. I'm happy for the extra cash, but the timing, in terms of this move, is kind of sucky.

History of craft

One of my longer lasting teenage jobs was as an associate at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. When I started, it was a storefront in the local mall, with little floorspace and jammed with messy fabric bolts - within a month, however, we moved to a huge new space in an older strip mall just a few miles away. I remember how interesting it was to see a retail operation go through such a big project. I also remember inventorying millions and millions of embroidery floss skeins. OK, maybe it was a few hundred...nah, it was millions, for sure.

Not sure if it was my surroundings, or my slight artsy streak (or most likely a combination of the two), but I took a stab at a variety of craft projects during those years. Sewing (yea, I made scrunchies), decorative country wreaths & brooms, little straw hat magnets (which my mom sold at work! They really were cute--for 1992), plastic canvas (shudder), fabric painting, beading, knitting, and a lot of acrylic-stroke-flowers-on-wood-thingies like wee foot stools and miniature useless pine shelves. I could wield a glue gun and tell you what projects would be best suited to a cool setting.

I worked there through my freshman year of college. Since then, I've 'crafted' socially, meaning I've attended friends' craft-nights, and I've pulled off a few minor solo projects, but my desire to do anything on a regular basis has been dead for some time. I've had a a bunch of brilliant ideas, all followed by pitiful starts and quick disinterest. I'd been so blah about craft-based projects that I got rid of most of my craft tools at the yard sale, including dozens of acrylics, paint brushes, one of my glue guns, gesso, spray adhesive, and so on.

A few months ago, I picked up one of those old window panes at the local junk peddler. I thought maybe it could be a project to create for our new bedroom in our new house...I planned to add a different fabric to each of the window panes, but I wasn't quite sure how I'd do it. There are several different techniques on-line, and fearing that I'd frustrate quickly from over-direction, I just winged it.

I sanded off the worst paint chips (but left a little crackle and peel for effect) and repainted the frame olive green. Then I added 3 coordinating black and white fabrics (one being toile)using a bead of glue right around the edges. Easy peasy. I think it turned out well:



My friend Angie is very crafty, and she had a similar project a while back. I thought it was really cute, and it was inspiration.

Of course after I finished, I had some leftover fabric...and I had some Mod Podge. I'd read about Mod Podge, but never tried it. So I decided to see what I could make to coordinate with me new project. I found three random items: an old round box that was collecting dust in a dresser, my brother's 8th grade pottery project, which I'm sure he'd be shocked to know I still have...it's really not that strange--I was keeping sewing notions in it, and finally a cardboard case (good for holding stationery). Here they are before my Mod Podge attack:



After about 45 minutes, I had the first two objects covered. It was incredibly and strangely satisfying. When I realized the hardware on the stationery case was not easily removable, I decided the roses already on it were just fine...



Now I have 2 coordinating trinket boxes to go with my frame. I should have photographed them together for you. I think I'm all crafted out for about another year, with the exception of possibly carving a pumpkin.

The rest of the day was incredibly productive...I'm about to post again in just a bit, and I'll fill you in.

Let's dish

You might recall my brief mention of wanting new dishes. Well, I never actually replaced them until just this past week. I suppose the impending move got me...well...moving. Ha!

Registering for our wedding was very fun: Here's a laser gun, shoot it at things you want others to buy you! It's not selfish - it's expected! You get to do it again if you have a baby, but why isn't is quite as acceptable to register to celebrate other important moments in your life? Pssst - I'm having my annual pap smear, and I'd really love these! Or, more pertinent: Hey, we are buying a new house, so we need some stuff!
When we registered back in 2002, we chose Mikasa Garden Harvest stoneware for our 'every day dishes.' It's traditional, goes with a lot, and it's very pretty. I still like it, but my style and lifestyle has changed, and it does have its negatives. It's a bit heavy, takes up a lot of space, and stoneware chips. Granted, in 8 years of daily use, only 6 out 48 pieces have chipped, but nevertheless, I have some noticeable chippage.

While I like all sorts of patterns and finishes, from classic to more bohemian, I'm much more practical than I used to be...I want simple, white (foodies agree everything looks better on a white plate), versatile, and durable new dishes that will survive Samuel's upcoming induction into the joys of shared family dish washing. As you might have guessed, I thought of Corelle. Then I hesitated. Then I considered it again. And hesitated once more. I knew it had all the durability qualities I was looking for, but I never cared for the way it felt - just sort of 'College Chic' with it's ultra light weight, compactness, and no edges. Cheap. I'll admit it, I always thought they felt cheap. I checked out their newer, heftier Ultra line, and though it sounded better, but I could never find it in a store to actually feel for myself. Then, last week, I eyed their Square line a little longer, and it grew on me. I thought that even with the lightweight feel, the square shape gives it some much needed style, but is still super simple. I did some research and snagged a great deal - service for 12 that did not include mugs (I hate the mugs, plus I love the plain white ones I already have), with free shipping, for $120.
It arrived today. I really do like it! The white is pure, without that weird skim milk luminescence the round Frost White seems to have. The square shape is stylish, but not trendy, and food looks sort of artful on it. Yes, artful. And, best of all, it takes up about half the space the Mikasa does. Win, win, win.

I posted the Mikasa for sale on Craigslist. In doing so, I realized that I was missing two dinner plates! Tim thinks I broke at least one. He may be right, but I don't remember doing so. A second may be forgotten at some one's house, maybe left behind after I brought goodies to share...but...who knows. If they doesn't sell via Craigslist by closing, I'll cart it over to our local consignment shop, where I'm sure it would sell fairly quickly.

Wardrobe crisis

Clothes and fashion are fun for me - I love the design and art of it, love to look at it, but I don't do much for myself. My wardrobe budget is on the modest side, because while I appreciate and look for good quality and nice tailoring, I shy away from dropping a slice of my paycheck on a pair of pants - I love a bargain as much as anyone! I keep things fairly simple, then experiment with combining things in new ways, or get interesting pieces and accessories to mix in here and there - but only when I'm feeling creative.

Unlike my shoe collecting, my dressing habits are admittedly a bit boring from day to day, and downright uniform-ish for work (black pants, cute top, earrings. grey pants, cute top, earrings. tan pants, cute top, earrings AND scarf). I have been trying to rotate in the few skirts and dresses I have, but they are most certainly not my default. The catalyst for getting me in a skirt are my amazing knee length boots. See? It's really all about the footwear. That's how I tend to build outfits, but it's not always the best way to start.

Combine all this with my virtual inability to buy a new piece when I know I have something similar in a smaller size (that's a bit too snug to wear without looking trashy so I need to drop 5lbs by tomorrow morning) and I have the tendency to have the occasional clothes freak out, realizing I've spent way too many anxiety-ridden mornings trying to come up with something I think is flattering and in good compositional balance.

There is very little pressure to look sharp at work. Any pressure is, for the most part, pressure that I put on myself. I work on a college campus, where many of the students are from large urban areas. While you might be inclined to think this makes for an intimidatingly fashionable environment, you would be mistaken: The most stylish and well put together students seem to be the exchange students. Most of the American college girls I encounter are fashion victims: Too many trends at once. Two sizes too small. Sloppy combinations. Chintzy knock-offs. And they all kinda look similar, like they walked off a Hanna Montana assembly line. I suppose things might look a little different on private campus catering to the offspring of the upper crust, but something tells me there would still be an assembly line. Maybe a Nancy Drew line?

The next demographic comparable at work is, of course, staff. With the exception of a few classic-minded women with a decent aesthetic and sense of proportion, most can be sorted into one of four groups: 1) the boxy poly-blend suits, unlined and often unstructured 2) the matchy-match slacks and tops or 3) the frumps, which includes mom-jeans and misshapen knits - also usually the ones busting out in holiday theme sweaters and 4) the fashionably dull (like me...but I can count us on one hand)

There are also an exceptional few ladies that are absolutely un-categorizable, based mostly on their ability to debut, on a regular basis, the most garish compositions, with no respect for color, drape, or shape. Really, it hurts the eyes.
Speaking of hurting the eyes, I can't post about fashion without mentioning a ridiculous combination I see way too many people in: a designer bag and chintzy outfit. For example - Chanel bag, rubber flip flops, and cut off sweats. Really, hon? Really?? I think the beach tote would be better in this case. Keep it all in the same ball field, ladies. Same with Coach briefcase and the clunky wedge slip ons from Penney's. They're too small and your heel is hanging over the edge, and your toes are brushing the concrete...your Coach piece can't distract from that disaster. You don't need a lot of money to be pulled together. You just need to 1) keep it balanced, as far as proportion, number of trends, and overall quality and 2) clean, neat, and it needs to fit right

So, you can see, that with little effort, I can achieve a comparably high-fashion look from day to day....but if you pick me up and drop me about 150 miles southeast of here, I'd seem terribly dull.

I also struggle with transitioning from super-casual summer lazy styles to fall outfits. I want to start wearing fall clothes on September 1, but the reality is, I'd be a sweaty mess, so it's tricky until the end of the month.

So yesterday I had the day to myself and went shopping for some desperately needed replacement basics. I found 2 crisp, tailored button-down oxfords that hit all the right places, a pair of flattering khakis, a shorter, modern black skirt with trendy twist and a classic denim skirt. For fun, I picked up a shaul-collar pink top (so feminine), a bright yellow cardigan, and cute pair of patent-leather ballerina flats. I think rotating these in will help get me out of my rut. I'll post some pictures soon!

Sweet deals

We were up by 5:30 this morning to finish set up. Sam was up too - he usually sleeps until at least 6:30, sometimes 7, but of course when you need to catch an hour's break...well, that's how it goes. It was particularly frustrating because the night before, he didn't fall asleep until after 9. We thought surely he'd sleep in a bit. Clearly, we are still total greenhorns at this parenting thing.

Anyway, we did have some early birds. Good thing the ammunition was for sale. Ha. Not that I'd know the first thing about loading it.

Tim was out hanging signs early, and brought home some Munchkins, which we Munched on all morning. Sam on a sugar high = Sell Sell Sell. Kidding. But we really did have a great turnout, and sold about three fourths of what we had out there, totaling just over $600. Yeah! And the coolest thing - very little haggling, so I guess that means our pricing was quite fair.

We had a battery operated doorbell which we never installed. Sam discovered it and rang it continuously for about an hour, and asked each person that arrived, "Do you have a doorbell?" So when he finally found someone that was indeed looking for a doorbell (yea, for real) he sold it, and he got to keep the $2.

Our friend Carl and his daughter Lily came by and hung out for a while, as well as our friend Allison. They were great because they helped to keep Sam distracted when it got particularly busy. Love my friends.

Some very random things sold: A big box of obsolete roofing nails. Chicken fencing. A 50+ year old jack stand (it was in the barn since we moved here). Ammo...uh, yeah, those two guys were...well, I think they have a bunker somewhere. Ironing board, to the woman that stopped by only because she lived in our house 40 years ago and had to tell us, and made it a point to say "I don't do yard sales." Ha! Well apparently now you do...Iron on, m'am. Books sold...books! Those never sell at yard sales. Five for a dollar worked really well.

We still have a couple of boxes worth of odds and ends that didn't sell, as well as some bigger ticket items (namely furniture) to find buyers for, but at least one large piece is already spoken for. So overall, we are in excellent shape.