To Bump Or Not To Bump

That is the question!

I'm sitting at Logan airport waiting to get back to San Diego after spending a week home with the fam and friends. We got here this morning and were scheduled to fly out at 8:45 and get into San Diego at 2:30, which was fantastic. I already planned how I could be at Target by 4 and catch up on the after christmas shopping I missed out on by being in freezing cold G L O.

However, when any type of monetary reward is dangled in front of my face I jump at the opportunity. Chris and I decided to bump and each got $300 vouchers towards a later flight. The lady at the ticket counter was nice and upgraded us to first class for our flight from Dallas to SD.

We are sitting in the new American terminal and trying to kill the time before our 1:30 flight. I've got plenty of work to do so thats keeping me busy. Sofie is sleeping soundly in her bag and Chris pretending to study, but I know him better than that.

Here is a pic of the baby girl napping in her baggy while I am typing away on the computer.

One thing...

that I am not looking forward to next week while back in the G L O is going from this:

To this:

Organic Looking

I got Ty a sketchbook for Christmas to go with some charcoal pencils he asked me to buy him. I figured i'd do something with the cover and came up with using pieces of pinecones. I had plenty of pinecones in the house that i'd used to decorate. Only problem is that the electricity went out mid project. Chris came home to me sitting in the dark at the kitchen table with plyers and a glue gun in my hand. I had to put the job on hold until the lights came back up, which was about 2 1/2 hours.

Third Identity

Last night my pal Ellsworth's band, Third Identity, played a show at the Brick by Brick. They played all but 1 original and did an amazing job. They drew the biggest crowd of the three bands playing and they were the opening act! They truely did an amazing job. At one point I took Leslie's camera and went on the side of the stage to take some action shots. It was so dark back there that I got locked in the side stage area! I had to take a flash picture of the door so I could see where the handle was to get out.

Gingerbread houses!

On Saturday we had the Krugers over for gingerbread house decorating and bubbly with pom juice. The houses were really easy to make. I ended up buying boxed gingerbread and following the recipe on the back for cookies. It was much easier than starting from scratch. My arms and shoulders were killing after rolling out all that dough, but it was worth it.

Jason decided to do some construction on his house, which ended in catastrophe!

I made everyone aprons and the boys decided to pose for their apron picture sans pants.

The pictures are in!

I am home in bed today from work because my stomach has been set on hate mode since last night! However some good news is that our family photos are available to view online today. Thankfully there are more than a few that I think could work so we may be able to get a few different shots printed and framed. Here are my favorites!

Really???

I got a fix it ticket a few weeks ago because there was a crack in the windshield (its about 6 months old). At first I thought I was being pulled over for eating a pear. I knew I didn't do anything wrong so I wasn't on the defensive to start off and was nice to the cop. I was having the ticket signed last night so I can mail it back showing that I fixed the windshield and it was pointed out to me that the cop wrote I was:

Honest, Polite, Cooperative.............

I've certainly been called honest before and I know I'm pretty polite (except for burping)...but Cooperative?

West Coast Tour Day 4

Saturday morning we woke up and had our family portraits taken! Everyone behaved and I think the pictures will come out fantastic. Jennifer at Poise Photography took them and was very friendly and allowed me to be the bossy person I am. After the photos we went to a Farmers Market where I found supplies for something I've been wanting to do...EAR CANDLING! I bought two sets and did Tyler & Karli's ears. Tyler chose to have it done on the front lawn so everyone was watching, including people walking by wondering why my brother had a flaming wax stick coming out of his ear. He said it really made a difference and you can tell that the stuff left in the candle is indeed ear wax...not candle wax. I can't wait to get my own ears done. It also proved that my brother will pretty much let me do anything to him...at least once.

After the ear candling we headed to the Sierra Nevada Brewery for lunch. The food was fantastic, but I am not a huge fan of beer that's not Coors Light. We required everyone at the table to take a sip of each sample from the tray and whoever started the taste had to drink whatever was remaining.

After the brewery we went to Bidwell Park. It is an amazing 3,168 acre municipal park that encompasses a canyon. We went to the Bear area and walked around for a bit. Tyler decided to try and go for a hike in his Teva's and we wall watched him scale the rocks like he was spiderman!

We then headed back to the hotel I proved that my napping habit is hereditary as dad, myself, and Sofie all took naps before dinner. The nap was followed by a great Thai dinner and then scrabble and beers at Tyler's.

West Coast Tour Day 3

Day 3 started bright and early with Mom, Dad, Ty, and Karli heading off to an Alcatraz tour. Chris and I got to sleep in a bit, but were tasked with getting everyones luggage packed and picking them up at Pier 33 at 11:30. After we picked them up we headed over to Haight Ashbury for lunch and a bit of shopping. Mom was pretty stoked to be somewhere she had read and heard about for years. I picked up some El Dia De Los Muertos fabric by Alexander Henry at a craft shop there...I was on vacation so 9/yard for fabric is allowed.

After the Haight we headed to see the Painted Ladies..aka the Full House house. This was the scene of my first breakdown as I put in the wrong address in the tom tom, we needed Gas, and I flipped someone the bird and Dad was NONE TOO PLEASED with that! No matter how old you are your parents still are your parents I guess. We headed out of town towards Muir Woods where everyone sort of wandered around for a bit. At about 5pm we took off towards Chico!

West Coast Tour Day 2

Thursday morning (Thanksgiving) we woke up and headed to San Francisco. We took the coast for most of the way and were able to enjoy the beautiful coastline. We picked up Tyler & Karli at the train station and headed over to the Sir Francis Drake.

We ate lunch at Sears Fine Foods (where Chris got a Thanksgiving dinner). We then walked around Fisherman's Wharf, drove down Lombard Street, and saw the BEST street performer ever! There was a little shrub in front of a trash can that jumped out at people. There was a guy with contraption of leaves and twigs that he held in front of his body while he crouched on the ground. Its hard to explain, but it was hilarious. Dad even tipped him, but apparently not enough because he said "paper not change".

After a nap we headed to China Town for dinner. We ate a TON of food and walked in a few stores. Unfortunately a lot was closed because of the holiday. The picture above was snapped in a store right before the Chinese man came over and yelled "no pictures, you pay".

West Coast Tour Day 1

Our first day on our trip started in San Luis Obsipo and ended in Monterey. Driving the coast from SLO to Monterey was absolutely amazing! The views were beautiful and unique. Dad drove the windy roads and hairpin turns. Thankfully the weather didn't hit till about half way through Big Sur so we were able to see quite a bit before the rain came.

I realized the night before that Carmel is home to an Alice Shop that boasts itself as 'offering one of the largest collectoins of items from the world of Alice in Wonderland'. This is easily one of the biggest lies i've ever read! I can create a store with the stuff just in my Del Mar apartment bigger than this store! If I was to put all my collection of Alice stuff it would be 5 times the stuff they had in this store. It was a major disapointment. However, Carmel made up for it. It is easily the cutest little town with an old english feel.

We headed over to Pebble Beach to walk around and for a drink. The course was beautiful, but the prices as you can guess outrageous. We grabbed a drink (or two) at the pub and then headed out to Monterey.

We walked around Cannery Row for a bit and then grabbed BBQ for dinner. The place made some GREAT Mac & Cheese! Dad and I enjoyed many beers and then it was to bed for the night.

Thankful Things Swap

I came into work today to get a few things done before we take off this afternoon. I was excited to see this box on my desk!

I had an idea that it was waiting for me because my partner in the swap, The Stitching Surgeon mentioned that she had sent it. Everything in it is so perfect! Included were:

• Fabric Scrap Pack - Ironically two of the fabrics in here I once had! I loved them so much I used the rest of what I had on my little birdies...I'm stoked to have more of the brown and blue polka dot along with some other great prints.


• No Cash Wallet - Along with my partner, I don't carry cash...EVER! This little walet is perfect for when I go out and just need a few cards and my id.


• Fabric Covered Button Hair Elastics - I've been dying to try and make these, but just haven't gotten my act together. My hair is always thrown up in a pony tail shortly after I get into work so these will be great to keep in my desk.


• Vintage Tea Towel - The towel has eggplants...my favorite vegetable! So sweet.


• Vintage Apron - I am a huge fan of vintage aprons and have started collecting some. My mothers friend got me started with a few from the 70's that I just love! This will be a great addition to my budding collection. The little cherries on it are priceless.


• A Monogrammed Wallet - I love anything with a monogram on it! I have been doing A TON of hand monogramming for christmas gifts, but can't post much about it because of my regular readers. A monogramming machine is on my list of 'wants', but because of space I haven't been able to get one. This wallet is great...plus K is obviously the best letter in the alphabet!


• Smelly Creams & a Loofa - I ALWAYS need bath gel. I run out and forget to buy more. This bottle will be my backup, which means that when the one I'm using runs out I will be using this bottle. Also, I keep cream on my nighstand so the bottle of lotion already has a spot!


• Clothespins - I am a fan of clothespins because they remind me of my grandmother. I always used to help her hang her clothes outside. She said that drying outside just gave your clothes a fresh crisp smell. I remember dipping my dirty little fingers into the hanging bag with the pins in it and putting clothes on the line with her. These made me think of her today!

This swap was one of the funnest things ever! Thinking of things for my partner and then receiving is just such a fun experience. I think that if I knew my partner in 'real life' aka not through blogs we'd be great friends!

So busy!

My parents are here and we've been pretty busy. Saturday we shopped all day and yesterday went to the Encinitas St. Fair and watched football. Today was pretty mellow, which was good. Tomorrow evening we take off for our California Coast Trip!

Before my parents got here I made some truffles. They were the easiest thing...just really messy! I had brown fingerprints all over my kitchen.

it's done...and I'm never making another!

I finished my quilt. It was a huge undertaking and there are many unique details aka mistakes. Instead of doing a lot of stitching and giving it that quilt affect I just did a border around the middle pieces. I used the buttons to cover up some weird corners and edges. I told Chris to stop me from EVER making something of this caliber again!

So many crafts..

but none that I can post! I've been working away on varying projects that are Christmas gifts. Unfortunately a lot of people read my blog who they are for so I can't post them.

In other news we hit up the four seasons this Saturday to check out a performer for my work holiday party. I had the most amazing mojitos! They have a different flavor for each season. I had a Fall and Winter. I would've enjoyed all four seasons if they weren't $15 each and I wasn't driving. Ells and Chris crashed a fancy hospital fundraiser and we ended up with 1/2 a bottle of fancy wine and a beautiful table centerpiece!

What's a tesseract?

I was flipping through the on demand movies last night and there was one titled "The Tesseract". I knew that I had heard this word before and was pretty sure it was somewhere in the book A Wrinkle In Time. Tyler confirmed that it was from that book and that a tesseract was an actual wrinkle in time. After looking it up on wikipedia (best site ever) I learned that a tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square...four dimensional cube...math nerd stuff regardless. In the book a tesseract is similar to folding the fabric of space and time. Which if you think about the two they can be seen as related.

After deciding that these were both appropriate definitions we went on to decide the following:

1. Many writers of fantasy books that children enjoy are from the UK/Ireland - Tolkein, CS Lewis, etc.

2. There should be a movie version of A Wrinkle In Time (not a stupid made for tv or pbs version)

3. That Tyler MUST read the Cask Of Amontillado

4. Ring worm is the same as an STD

5. That Orson Wells did NOT write 1984

6. Sofie and Almond are not allowed in the family photo because Maizy can't be in it

The madness has begun!

This weekend was nice and relaxing...and that 'ah' feeling was ruined by a slap in the face of reality this morning upon entering work! My work computer went into 'hate' mode and after many attempts to fix it with the help desk it just crapped out...now its on its way to help desk land to be fixed. Naturally this happens when I have a proposal going out! Thankfully I have a loaner for the next few days. Hopefully I'll get my machine back before I take off for Tennessee...yes I'm going to Tennessee...for a long long time...to work on a proposal. The timing is pretty crappy since there is a lot going on here and my parents are coming to visit. However, its a great job opp for me so it will all be worth it in the end. I just need to get all the loose ends here tied up before I feel like I can go.

Over the weekend, when I had the 'ah' feeling I got a lot accomplished! I am about 90% finished with my quilt, just needs some flair added. I even got this precious little project done while watching True Blood last night. Don't know what I'll do with her yet...maybe I'll bring her to TN with me for good luck.

HOW COULD I FORGET........

..............to blog about my parents 30th wedding anniversary!!! It was on Tuesday. With all the hype surrounding the election I guess I didn't get a chance to blog about it. I didn't forget though...they got a card and I notified them that we are taking a family portrait when we are all in Chico at the end of the month and its going to be hilarious! Anyway, my parents have been married for 30 years and in a relationship for 40! How amazing is that! I think my parents are very lucky to have found the person they are supposed to spend the rest of their lives with on the first try AND at such a young age to boot!




Here is a list of some of my favorite things about my parents...as a couple...certainly not complete, but good for now!



They :

• work very hard in their chosen paths - dad as a workin man and mom as a mom


• don't 'let' kids win at games - they play for real, although dads "losers/winners clean up" rule is in my opinion still stupid


• have chosen some of the most AMAZING friends in the world - when you have a small family your parents friends become your family and we've been lucky with those my parents have chosen


• aren't afraid to disagree - I hate nothing more than people agreeing with each other for the sake of agreeing
  


• encourage their kids to disagree (hit the jackpot with me)
  


• encourage their kids to be their own person, even though its challenging (ding ding on Ty)
  


• get upset about different things - if you did something to make one parent mad the other wouldn't be hatin on you so you ALWAYS could go to the other to escape..this sounds like it could confuse a kid, but it works for our family
  


• prepare for the future - but more importantly are getting better at enjoying the now
  


• support their vegan son and vegetarian daughter - though they are serious carnivores
  


• do their own thing - they don't rely on each other to solidify who they are as a person
  


• are parents and companions to my brother and I, but never just 'friends' with us...they'll always put us in our places
  

and last but not least....

they love me even when I act a fool in public, which is more than 80% of the time!

New Amy Butler Squares

I received my lovely Amy Butler squares today. I ordered them from Imagine Fabrics on ebay. The fabric was exactly as described and fabulous. I am terrible at measuring and cutting so having fabric squares come this way is a HUGE relief for me. Now all I have to do is sew it up and it's good to go. The fabric is even cuter in person! I will certainly be ordering more from Imagine Fabric. For just under $10 shipped I got 30 5X5 squares of 5 different prints. The prints are from the Lotus & Belle collection and are the cutest. I'm going to try and make lap blanket.

It's a privlege not a right...

On a day like today, so many people are saying 'I'm so glad this is almost over' and 'I'm sick of politics'....well, feeling that way is a privilege not a right! Our ability to vote is something that many have fought long and hard for us to maintain, you don't need a degree in political science to know this (although I do). When I was younger I didn't much understand the hype or the proud attitude some had about voting, but now as an adult I understand it with a vengeance. Aside from the presidential ballot, here in CA there are quite a few props that are important to me. Prop 8 will ban gay marriage in California...and that kills me. There are people all over the place with Yes on Prop 8 signs that drive me nuts, however its the people with the No On Prop 8 signs that have been catching my eye. So many of them are young kids, students, teenagers, etc... This to me is a hint that a future of understanding and acceptance may be much brighter than we think!

A pink wig for the baby girl

Halloween was a fabulous time! Costumes came out good and we had a great time in them.

Sofie also enjoyed her fabulous pink wig!

Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeeeen

So it's halloween. Most people know that Halloween is one of my favorite holiday's, probably because it involves eating candy instead of a turkey or ham.
Last year we went as the crew from Clue. Erin reminded me today of the video I made so I figured i'd post it here. Our costumes tonight are as a group too and are pretty cool. I'll be sure to 1. make a cheesy move and 2. post it here on my blog. But for now enjoy last years video:

A baby blanket

Our good friends the Krugers introduced us to the Peddycords a while back. They are a great couple and are expecting their first child next month. I couldn't resist making something for little Emma and saw some really cute fabric the other day and decided a little blanket would be perfect. I used a thin flannel material. One side has little roses and the other has stripes. I cut out the letters and then used fringe block on them so they wouldn't pull.

I am pretty stoked on how it came out. I dropped it in the mail for them yesterday. I hope their little family can enjoy it because Sofie certainly wanted to when I was taking pictures of it.

It's pretty amazing!

I got an i-phone and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I haven't actually talked on it very much, but i've been downloading applications and customizing it for about 48 straight now. Erin is going to hate me even more when we are out as I will be playing with this WAY more than the stupid game boy aka Treo.

Fun Weekend

I had a fabulous weekend!

Friday night we went over to a new friends place, hung out, and watched a surf movie. Liz is an AMAZING photographer..check out here blog here.

Afterwards Arianne, Carly, & I ended up at Pala Casino for much more drinking and shenanigans. It got pretty crazy.

Saturday night Chris and I went with the Ditch's and Moses to Haunted Halloween at Universal Studios. It was easily the scariest night of my life. Crazy men with chain saws, people jumping out from every corner, it was absolute madness. The show was awesome..I couldn't stop laughing. We ended up getting home at 3am!

Sunday the girls came oer and we made halloween costumes. We were able to bang out every ones yesterday, but mine, which I'll do over the next few nights.

On Friday before we went over to Liz's I was able to make a drink coozie..which I think is the cutest. Unfortunately I don't really drink coffee or hot drinks from a paper cup, so I can't really use it, but i'll make a bunch for friends anyway.

Squares

I made my first attempt at sewing a quilt like piece last night. Althought it was tiny it tested my skills of being patient (which I am not) and precise. My downfall is that I HATE to pin anything...so I just didn't do it with this. I did however take the time to press the seams along the way, which was a big help. I'm pretty stoked on how it all came out and now am having issues deciding what to do with it!