The new place

Since my last post, a LOT has happened, namely our move. To make a long story short, we visited Utah for a couple weeks before embarking on the rest of our journey to Indiana. It was nice to be with family and friends and enjoy some of our favorite tasty treats (Cafe Rio, Nielsen's Frozen Custard, etc.)

Adam and a friend drove our stuff across many states while LG and I stayed behind a few days and then flew out (thanks again to LG's grandparents).

Upon our arrival, we feverishly unpacked for several days and went to Target at least five times during said whirlwind.

Of course, our garage is in bad shape and there are still some lingering boxes in a few rooms, but it is starting to look much better. I think we have gotten more done in the past three weeks than we have in the past year.

Uh-oh #37: An update on the skirt project

A couple of weeks ago, I made some progress sewing my skirt (yes, the one I was supposed to complete about three weeks ago for my husband's graduation). I finished the zipper, which proved to be an un-picking fest. Then, I got the waist all stitched up and was so excited to move onto the "flounce" of the skirt.  After stitching the sides of the flounce together and taking a look at my handy-work, I was perplexed. Something was definitely wrong. Indeed, I found the cutting instructions and discovered (or was reminded, rather) that I was supposed to cut out TWO pieces of flounce on the fold. That wouldn't have been a problem, except that, since I had to re-cut a piece earlier (see original post), there was not enough material.  I will have to go to the fabric store this week. 

To be continued...maybe. 

(It is becoming very clear to me why it takes me a year or more to re-kindle the desire to sew between each project.)

Our Graduationmoon

For a graduation present, our great friends gave us "a day, and night, and a day" during which they would tend LG. So, we planned a getaway! Adam booked us a room downtown at the Oxford Suites. Here is a picture of our great parking spot:

First, we went to a matinee of Star Trek. We liked it quite a bit, despite the excessive explosions. 

After checking into our hotel, we embarked on a small adventure to find out how to get to the Melting Pot (on the second floor above Red Robin).  Thanks to Adam's eagle scout skills and/or intuition, we found it easily.

Here is the pot. We had a lot of great food such as: spinach artichoke dip with bread and vegetables, meats with many dipping sauces, and bananas foster (with fruit, and desserts to dip....yum).

The next day, we slept in, which was so nice! Although we love our 2 year old human alarm clock, it was a treat to wake up on our own time. 

One of the best parts of the graduationmoon was our horseback riding that afternoon. I've always wanted to go, and this time I got my chance. My horse's name is Harvey, and Adam's is named Pete. 

As you can see, it was beautiful on our trail ride. 

Harvey had to scratch his nose a couple of times along the way, including while

 taking this next picture.  

Adam and I both had sore left knees after getting off our horses. Probably due to our lack of proper horse-riding technique:)

We had a great time over those 28 hours. Any type of "moon" is always savored.

Another hobby...creme brulee

I want to learn to make creme brulee well. I watched an online video of a french guy giving tips a week or so ago, but wish I had reviewed it when making the creme brulee this afternoon.  

Here is the half and half (don't know whether or not I'll use real cream next time). 

A candle lighter works pretty well for getting the air bubbles out before putting the ramekins in the oven. 

Done, but the middle didn't set well. I may need to invest in a torch!

I'm back! And I'm sewing again!

Well, yes, it has been quite some time. Anyway, on with the post. I have decided to give my annual hobby of sewing another shot. So, yes, this is a sewing post...likely to cause many to exit quickly. That's okay, just don't tell me that you did. 

I was able to cut out the material for my skirt during LG's nap, which was pretty fun except for a couple problems: 1) I had to measure myself using ribbon and a manilla envelope since my tape measure was missing and I didn't want to unload a bunch of junk out of a box to retrieve a ruler...hence the manilla envelope 2) Using these very accurate numbers, I then had to try to line up those numbers with the ones on the back of the pattern envelope. Let's just say that I couldn't bring myself to follow their recommendations of size exactly, since that would mean that I would be TWICE the size that other brands/companies say I am. 

After cutting out the material, I found myself a cute little sewing spot in the bathroom. You can see from the picture, though, that it is actually pretty cozy. A chair will fit under the countertop. That is the usual spot for our dirty clothes basket. On last year's project I was getting the machine, material, and notions out on the floor and putting it all away before going to bed so that little fingers wouldn't get into it the next day. No more!

 

I am about half-way through and have already unpicked plenty and had to re-cut one piece.  Of course, this was late at night, so I actually re-cut two. I was mad about having the only progress be the un-doing of my mistakes. So, I kept going and I'm happy to say that it is starting to look like an actual skirt (still missing the "flounce"... don't worry, it's not going to end up as a mini-skirt). My goal is to finish before my husband's graduation. More to come...

Christmas

I'm apparently too tired to think of anything shnazzy to say, but here is a pic from our vacation. It is the only one I can load at the moment. 

Here are the babes of the universe after enjoying a traditional Girls Day Out at the Olive Garden. 

Where have all the snowplows gone?

Looks like the first real blanket of snow is here (and is yet building as I type this) and I'm not excited about it. If you recall, last year was pretty bad and I'm a little concerned that the great city in which I live has not really learned their preparedness lesson.  I'm waiting for my favorite truck (the snowplow) to come.  Oh well, we'll be going out of town soon to where they are masters at taking good care of the roads (and drivers).  I will now end this pointless rant:)