east + west

Fripp Trip

2010-06-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

What's on the Needles...

2010-06-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally been knitting long enough that I can join the ranks of knitters saying, "I finally figured out what to do with that gorgeous skein I bought a few years ago..." Two years ago, on a trip to visit my family in Massachusetts, I visited Webs - the fantastic, huge, warehouse of gorgeous yarn, most of which is discounted in some way. I bought a beautiful skein of Sheep Shop Yarn. I bought a skein of Berkshire, one of Web's own yarn lines, in a light, icy blue to compliment the variegated blues and browns of the Sheep Shop Yarn.

I intended to make a hat as I only had one skein of the Sheep Shop, but now it's being turned into a lovely little cowl.

I've also been working on my second lace project. I promised one of my sister-in-laws lacey scarf and couldn't settle on a pattern. After months, I saw the Campanula Scarf on one of my favorite blogs and couldn't wait to buy the pattern. I knew it was the one!

I made a trip to the yarn store and they led me around to all their lace-weight yarns. I ended up choosing Malabrigo Lace in a Taupe (although it looks pinky to me, but not as pink as the photos seem to show) and another skein of in a cream color for a second attempt later.

I can't remember if I ever put up a photo of my Owl Sweater for my niece - here she is! A few problems, but overall not too bad, although by no means a professional job!

Stay tuned, at long last, some photos from our trip to SC to visit my Oma and Opa!

Cooking, Knitting, and Racing

2010-03-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Last night I made homemade macaroni and cheese (thanks to Oma's tutelage during your Fripp Trip) and this Mushroom Soup - c/o The Pioneer Woman's cooking site The Tasty Kitchen. It's like Ravelry for cooking.

I am adding this to my binder of recipes "That Even Megan Can Cook". This means that they turned out pretty much as advertised the first time I made it. Also, they have to taste good.

I don't have all that many recipes in my binder.

Knitting Update: Only another couple of hours and my first true sweater should be finished! The cool weather should be mostly through for the year, but I made it big enough that, fingers crossed, my niece can wear it next winter. Once I finish the sweater, I am giving myself permission to start a new project because...

I also finished my second Koolhaas Hat in a green heathered, buttery-soft, Stonehenge Fiber Shepherd's Wool for myself. It knitted up so much faster than the first one, and this time, no grief when the decreases started!

Currently Reading: Friday Night Knitting Club and The Pillars of the Earth from Oma (I alreayd read World Without End a couple of years ago). And just started one called The Calling. I've got to get my fantasy fix in too, I guess. Actually, I also read Dear Mr Henshaw for the In2Books program I'm participating in.

Lastly, I'm really interested in biking the STP Seattle to Portland Bike Race this year. I just haven't made my final decision yet. I'd like to do Lotoja sometime, but this one seems a better starter for me. It can be raced in one or two days and only has 30 uphill miles for 206 miles of course. Now if that isn't incentive, I don't know what is.

Aprons, Bags, and Burpies...and Teenage Millionaires

2010-02-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

I had two ladies from work ask me to make them some "Ribbon Burpies" as I'm calling them. The top three are for a little boy and I went out and picked the fabric. The two towards the back were for a little girl, and the woman who bought them chose the fabrics. They're all backed with terry cloth. I was pretty happy with them. Especially the little boy ones...

I'm calling this the "Corset Apron". The days are finally getting lighter and longer, andthe other day I had the bug to just make something. Anything. And finish it. So I started cutting witbout measuring, sewing seams with abandon, and viola! A thoroughly unsatisfactory apron. But it does have a bit of fifties-ish charm, no?

Here is a different photo of the Christmas Scarf. The lighting is terrible, but you can see the pattern better.

Zipper Bags! Apparently I do not know how to properly box/square the corners as it came out a bit lopsided, but I am proud of my first zipper.

They don't require much fabric or time, and I intend to make more (and hopefully better ones) in the future.

Maybe I can get J to switch out his very "loved" toiletry bag

And finally...this awesome thrift store find was sent to me by one of my good friends in Florida. It says "teenage millionaire" down in the corner and that also appeared to be the clothing's brand name. I wish I were a teenage millionaire.

Wazzuuuuuup!!

Selbuvotter by Terri Shea

2010-01-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

I bought this book a couple of weeks ago from KnitPicks and really enjoyed reading it. The author took original vintage Selbu style mittens and gloves, re-created them, and wrote up patterns which have been compiled into this book.

Each patterns has a photo of the original and a short bit about them. One mitten has a patch right through where a ski pole would be. One set made my a mother, is a set of two left handed mittens and the child just twisted it around for the right hand. These little anecdotes made it an enjoyable read as well as a great knitting resource.

What I love about this is that while there are patterns in here - they are only written for one size such as "Child's Medium" or "Men's Small". It will give me a chance to work with new yarns and experiment with modifying patterns to knit the desired size I need. You can also mix and match any of the charted motifs/patterns. You like the bird in the middle of the glove but not the snowflake? Don't use the snowflake...just repeat the bird? You really love the Selbu rose variation on one of the mittens? Use it on a hat next time you're making one! \\
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At first I was a little disappointed that the book is in black and white, but now I think it keeps from being distracted and feeling like I need to choose THOSE colors. I'll have to get inspired on my own

I have started a pair of mittens that is a Child's Medium and am using slightly larger needles and a yarn with a slightly different gauge. I hope they will come out more of an adult medium, but we'll see. It'll be the first time I've really knit a pattern without using a matching guage and although I could sit down and do a gauge swatch and run the math out for how big it will turn out...I'm WAY too lazy for that. I'd rather just see how it turns out and then gift them to whomever they'd fit.

2010-01-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

My current play list purchased with a Christmas itunes giftcard. New Eels off Hombre Lobo, Built to Spill, The Avett Brothers, Fleet Foxes, and a song from Phoenix. Not sure why it's so small? If i try to make it larger it gets blurry. So...you can click on it for a larger view if you are interested in the details...

And...At long last, final updates on my Christmas knitting projects.

Pattern: Koolhaas Hat
For: My Sister
Yarn: Stonehenge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool - Granite
Needles: US Size 6, 16" circular Bamboo
Mods: I did not change to US Size 8's as called for in the pattern. As per instructions from the class took to learn how to make this hat, I didn' swatch. (Gasp!) And after seeing the sample hat she'd made entirely on size 6's, I decided to follow suit. I typically find BrooklynTweed's hats to run a bit large when I knit them up. It was perfect after I knitted it and grew a little after blocking (blocking seems to make everything bigger. Is it just me?!). In the end I was very glad I didn't move to the bigger needles.

Pattern: Checkerboard Lace Scarf
For: My Sister-in-Law
Yarn: Sleeping Dragon Yarns Laceweight - Petrol (a locally produced yarn)
Needles: US Size 7, 24" circular bamboo
Mods: Only cast on 48 inches and just knitted until the skein was gone. After blocking, I was only slightly short of the length indicated in the pattern and it seemed like the length worked out alright even thought she is a tall girl. Lots of fun to make and my first lace project!!

Whatcha Readin'?

2009-12-31T11:13:00.000-08:00

Well, thanks for asking.

Thanks to mom for sending me the following two books which I finished off in 4 days. And that included working 10 hour days, attending family holiday events, and knitting furiously at night to finish off a few Christmas gifts.

The Hunger Games - a thoroughly engrossing, fast-paced and entertaining read. I've been describing it to people as a "your typical battle royale-ish, post-apocolyptic society where the man keeps you down my forcing people to sacrifice their children in a televised battle to the death". People seem to be getting the gist of it.

Catching Fire - not quite as action packed due to a lot of obvious attempts to recap information from the first book (which was unnecessary in my case since I read them consecutively) and as it is the second book in a trilogy, a.k.a the set up book, but threw me a little curve ball towards the middle. While I did see the ending coming, it didn't make it any less satisfying and I can't wait until the final books comes out next year.

Odd and The Frost Giants - If you click on the link it will take you to a little "trailer" for it on amazon narrated by Neil Gaiman.

I have only read about 2 pages, but I have the utmost confidence that I will love it as much as I love every book by him. Neil Gaiman is my favorite author and I highly recommend his stuff.

Buy it. Do it. Start with Stardust or Coraline, or The Graveyard book if you're not too into the supernatural as his stories always have plenty, but typically have the "real world" as well as the supernatural in there. Neverwhere was also fantastic - He has fantastic stories, great narrative, and really good characters. I can't say enough good things.

Anyway.

Happy New Year's.

Non-Cheesy Christmasness

2009-12-18T19:44:00.001-08:00

Some great Christmas wallpapers for your PC and laptops because they need a little love too, right?

Smashing Magazine

Here are a couple I really liked:

Knitting Preview

2009-12-16T11:25:00.001-08:00

Mystery scarf and completed Koolhaas Hat.

What I've Been Up To

2009-12-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

Making pear custard out of the Everyday Food Cookbook...

Making chicken noodle soup...

Raking leaves into piles much to the enjoyment of a few little boys...and yes. That's drool.

Making things for the craft fair at work. It wasn't all that successful, but was a fun experience. These were a "custom order - which makes you feel very professional.

Let's not leave out the knitting. This hat is actually pretty cool looking, but I couldn't get a good shot that day except on my head outside. It's HUGE and I am calling it the Mushroom Hat, but it's really out of the Jared Flood Made in Brooklyn pattern book. Next time I'll either have to check gauge better or just knit it on smaller needles. It was quick and fun nonetheless and very warm!

Um...more pictures from before teh craft fair. I kind of took over the house? But rest assured it has all been cleaned up.

Going up the tram at Snowbird with J's family. We couldn't get the candle lit long enough to blow out. Also, Anna does NOT like to walk on ice or snow anymore.

Decorating the house for the holidays. The tree looks much better with the addition of 6 ornaments from Mexico from J's sister. Last year we only had one on there that we bought while we were down there. It doesn't make for a well balanced tree.

Also, Jon's sister A and I made these really fun garlands. Just sew circles of paper together on your sewing machine - it makes a great garland or gift wrapping accessory.The paper I used was solid, but has this really great texture on it. J's sister wrapped some gifts in this green painters paper we found at Home Depot ad then wrapped a string of small circles around it - it was great! The husbands did not think it was as cool as we did.

The Mexican Nativity we bought a couple of years ago. It's the perfect size for us.

In other news - I went to another knitting class a week or two ago. They taught you about knitting cables by working on a hat pattern that is covered in mini cables. I can't put a picture of the hat on here as it's for a Christmas gift, but it's going to be hard to give it away! The yarn is 100% wool but you'd never know. It's exceptionally soft and squishy and is a beautiful heathered grey color. I intend on making more soon!

I'm also working on my first lace project. It's going to be a scarf for another Christmas gift (fingers crossed as it's slow going).

Finaly...guess what I'm typing this post on? My new LAPTOP! It's an early Christmas gift. J is way too good to me. It's a Toshiba Satellite A505-S6986 that we got on sale at Office Depot. Nice big screen, full sized keyboard and 10-key, webcam although I dot intend on using that, nice processor, I get to finally use wireless internet and the speakers are fantastic! If you know me, I'm almost never without music on, so good sound was a must.

Have I mentioned I love it?

A, O, I, L, & G

2009-11-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

The last couple are a little blurry, but they were mostly for fun anyway. So much brother love. It's a wonder the smallest one has managed to survive all the brotherly attention love. Especially by the middle one. He LOVES his little brother and shows it dutifully by smooshing, squishing, and toting him around all while telling you "my brother is so CUTE! He is SO cute!". This is why we like them. There is always something entertaining going on.

Oh. And because they are SO CUTE! They are just so CUTE!

Making Do - A Project for Lazy & Unprepared People

2009-10-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

People like me.

This is what you do when you don't have a birthday card for your nephew. I think I am going to make all my holiday gift tags like this from now on...

And this is what you do when you realize the thing you've thrown together is not going to fit into a normal envelope. Lazy envelopes care of Angry Chicken's tutorial. A torn out page from the Patagonia catalog. Like I'm ever going to be able to afford anything in there anyway...

I didn't even have any tape (electrical tape wasn't going to cut it this time) and, as you can see, one side of the envelope is sewn and the other is glued with a glue stick. I resorted to a glue stick after my bobbin ran out of thread which is why the stitches look so messy. I am not sure why I didn't think of the glue stick first, but oh well.

Voila. Instant money holding card (that could have been cuter...I admit that...) and ski man envelope for a little 9 year old skier.

The Avett Brothers

2009-10-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I get, that's bored. I get bored easily and music is no exception.

One of the things I like about the The Avett Brothers is that while they have a pretty definitive sound worked out, they can still throw in a little variety.

Most of their music is mellow, sparse acoustic stuff, with a lot of piano, and some string instruments thrown in...songs like "I and Love and You" and "The Weight of Lies". You can check out the video for "I and Love and You" on their web site. There are other songs with a little of their Carolina southern influence including harmonica, and the banjo like "Dancing Daze" and "The D Bag Rag".

And then they have a few songs with a little more kick to them. "Kick Drum Heart" and "Slight Figure of Speech" are little upbeat ditties, and then there is "Colorshow"; a little more edge in that one. It appears that the Southern boys can do a little yelling. Which I am partial to... Jon thinks the vocals sound like Marcy playground, but I'm just not hearing that.

So go listen to them and discover something new.

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears! Oh My!

2009-10-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well it is Halloween soon, so I thought I would mention The Eels new album "Hombre Lobo". It means werewolf in Espanol. I've been listening to this band for almost a decade now, but only recently learned that the lead singer Mark Everett is the son of famous physicist Hugh Everett III who first proposed the many worlds theory of quantum physics.

You can listen to the song "Fresh Blood" here at Spinner.

You can also learn "10 facts about Mark Everett's Beard here at Spinner as well. Who knew?

And their video for "Prizefighter":

Something a little softer, "In My Dreams":

And lastly, for those not into the Eels, here's something a little more mellow and tame. Jose Gonzalez, another artist I love...playing "Hand on High". He's Swedish, I think -

Knitting Rekindled

2009-09-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

So - for my birthday Jon got me this book - it is a knitting pattern book by Jared Flood. The famous Brooklyntweed. Jon laughs at me when I talk about this guy and how "infamous" he is in the knitting world....but it's not an exaggeration. There are a lot of knitting projects out there that look dowdy or well...knitted...if you know what I mean. He designs beautiful patterns that are classic and modern, and things you could actually wear! I stumbled on his web site about a year ago and really got inspired. It was one of the driving forces for me to really become obsessed with this whole knitting thing - I wanted to make what he was making!

I've just started the Grove Mittens:

It's the first pattern I've knitted that requires chart reading for the pattern, and it was so small int he book I had to have Jon blow it up for me at work, but 'm excited. Although I've had to backtrack a few times so far, I'm finding this a really fun, enjoyable, and fairly quick project. Even for a beginner like me. I really appreciate the simple details the pattern has that make the pattern more clear. If he wants you to slip a stitch, the pattern will let you know if it should be purlwise and if the yarn should be in the front or back. Example: sl1 purlwise wyib - slip 1 purlwise with yarn in back. For someone who is not experienced, this makes all the difference as these choices are not intuitive to us yet.

This leads me to my next knitting adventure, WEBS yarn store! I had no idea that in my parent's backyard lay one of the largest knitting stores in the country (I am not sure if it is THE largest or not). About 40 minutes away is this famous yarn store that I have looked at online. They offer tons of discounted yarns along with a huge selection of everything fiber you can imagine. They are now located in thsi massive warehouse in Massachusetts. When home visiting the family, they were all gracious enough to plan a day trip to NorthHampton. It's a fun little liberal town with lots of shops...and yes...home to WEBS. My Oma, Opa, Jon, and one of my sisters, took off for the yarn store after the rest of the family headed home, and it was fantastic! I definitely nerded out, and Jon was good enough to walk around the entire store (the front half that looks like a normal yarns tore except that it is about 3 times as big) and THEN through the entire back warehouse section that is filled with rows and rows of boxes filled with discount yarn. I got 2 skeins of yarn for my mittens, 4 skeins of Valley Yarns berkshire Bulky in a pale grey and burnt orange color for hats - 1 skein of a variegated sheepshop yarn which is gorgeous and was a great price, and another skein of oatmeal colored Berroco Peruvia to go with the sheepshop for a hat. And a stitch/row counter...and I think that's it.

I am going to stop now because I am sure boredom is setting in for all you non-knitters (pretty much everyone who reads this?), but soon I hope to have some photos of the mittens. And speaking of...it's time to get back to some chores before I go teach 8 year olds how to play chess so I have some quality fiber time later!

Trails and Weddings

2009-09-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to edit any of these photos yet, so be kind... but I thought I should get them posted at the very least. A few from Micheal's wedding and reception and a few from the Hiawatha Rail Trail. The rail trail was fantastic so thanks to the P Family for inviting us. It is an old railway line in Idaho that was made into a bike trail. There are all sorts of wooden trestles and tunnels; the longest tunnel was 1.7mi long which necessitated head and bike lamps. It was pitch dark, bumpy, cold, and fun!

A chipmunk that wanted to eat with us and clearly was not afraid of humans. Look at those cheeks!

Up next? Knitting!!!

More Catching Up

2009-09-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we're off tomorrow evening at midnight (instead of 10pm thanks a lot Delta, we hate you....) for my parent's house in Massachusetts for the baptsims of my youngest sister and family caboose! We haven't been back in a while and are excited to revisit New England! In preparation, here are some photos to try and document the rest of our Northwest trip - Olympic National Park followed by me in the biggest bookstore in the country (in the world?) and where you have to get a map to find your way around - called Powells books in portland and then the Japanese Gardens in Portland.

I look like a dork...but I had to check out the knitting section.

Olympic National Park

2009-08-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

I know it's been too long between posts, but here's an olive branch; more pictured from our trip! When I finally finish documenting our whirlwind trip of the Northwest, I'll still have to get photos from weddings and visits from family up too! Stay tuned -

Our campsite in the middle of a temperate rain forest. How did they know we were handicapped? The clearing behind those trees? Yah. That's a cliff down to the beach.

One of many huge-mongous trees. I'm not the only one feeling short today. Also, a river. It was nice to be someplace that had water and moisture again.

Beach in the daytime...

Beach at night... Walking on logs if fun though perhaps a little precarious...

Beach at night with characteristic fog. The fog was fantastic.

Sunset walking away from the beach. I am really upset about this one. I have 3 similar shots, but all of them are blurry! I was walking away trying to catch up with Jon and didn't take my time. They only look good stamp-sized. Boo to that.

Just to prove we were there.

Leaving Seattle

2009-08-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - The Morning

We moseyed around the market in the morning and ate breakfast at a little bakery; breakfast included apple juice, chocolate chip croissant, and some berry filled pastry. Neither of us can remember exactly what it was... We passed by this particular produce stand filled with hanging pepper bouquets. I'm not sure how else to describe them.

We walked down a long hall of indoor stalls that reminded me of Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall in Boston. If we'd had more room in the car I might have bought more food - gorgeous cherries, peaches, tomatoes and produce of all kinds, fish...as it was, I bought 3 "fruit logs" 3 for a $1. They were these 3 or 4 inch long little logs that were of a soft chewy texture and rolled in coconut flakes.

We went into a map store and discovered an African restaurant I wished we'd noticed the night before, not that our dinner wasn't delicious... On the way out of Seattle we waved at the amazing public library. I heard an NPR interview a few weeks ago talking about how the windows were cleaned, not my professional window companies, but by rock and mountain climbers who would put in low bids for the opportunity to use the library as training, while cleaning windows of course. We would have liked to go inside, but the National Park was calling our names!

Captain's Log Stardate 62999.2

2009-07-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Leave at 5:30am

Arrive in 10 miles outside of Seattle
Crawl along the last 8 miles for 45 minutes in traffic

Realize Seattle streets are all one way streets...and it is crazy
Realize there is no place to park
Realize the hotel is serious when they say you'll be charged $49 for parking...SELF parking
Acknowledge the Westin really DOES have "heavenly" amenities
Notice it is Bastille Day after wondering why the French restaurants were mobbed and random people were speaking French
Wonder why everyone is wearing uber-tight pants and extra-high heels
Enjoy mussels and sardines while watching the drunk people at the restaurant next to you

Check out the waterfront

Check out the Farmer's Market (see post below)
Fall asleep in the "heavenly" beds

What's Next? Leaving Seattle and Olympic National Park!

A Dangling Carrot?

2009-07-25T22:04:00.001-07:00

To Portland...and Beyond!

2009-07-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm 40 hours into my 70 hour work week, but the count down is on!

We're taking a week long trip starting Tuesday morning bound for points Northwest. We'll be heading out early (like 5am early) on Tuesday morning and driving up to Seattle via Mt. Rainier. We'll spend a night there before heading to Olympic National Park where we'll camp out until Saturday morning. Our final destination will be Portland for the weekend and then another long drive on Monday.

It'll be straight back to work Tuesday morning so you may not get photos for a few days, but I can guarantee they'll be coming. We can't go anywhere without taking a few hundred pictures. So until then, keep up with the Tour de France! We're majorly rooting for Team Garmin-Slipstream and keeping a close eye on our favorite rider, Dave Zabriskie. We've even been trying to get to the gym as soon as I return from work; we can catch the tail end of the Versus race coverage on the tv monitors for the treadmills and ellipticals. I know. It's a little creepy. We're actually going to pay to watch today's race online - the first mountain stage!

Tour de France Official Site
Team Garmin-Slipstream
Dave Zabriskie Article from ProCycling
Information about Tour de Fleece ( a friendly competition that about 1000 people now participate in - it is a spinning, as in yarn, competition that mirrors the Tour de France and all its terminology such as green jersey, pelotons, breakaways, etc.)

And finally, for some more kooky knitting news - I have been working furiously on a pair of hiking socks for Jon. Made out of Trekking yarn, it's so far so good. I also found a clip art picture at work while looking for something to stick on my fax cover sheets. Guess what - it's an Asian girl who is sitting and knitting. Who woulda thunk? It's me!!

Will Work for Photos

2009-06-22T11:16:00.001-07:00

I've been really lazy about posting lately, but I promise that new photos have been taken. This time you'll have to work for them. Check out the "Our Photos" link on the right side of the blog. It's a link to my Picasa Web Albums. The newest folder is the May/June 2009. You can find pre-school graduation, family bbq's, nephew photos, and the answer to the question: Does Spencer love yarn?

What's that? You want a preview? Well ok...because I'm such a pushover.

The Perfect Summer Day

2009-06-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Sun, 70's, socks...

Mmmm. It was a good year for cherries. Now if only we could reach them all...at least the flocks of birds that live in our yard are enjoying what we can't get to.

Chauncey Memorial and Backyard Play

2009-05-21T11:38:00.001-07:00

What I've Been Up To

2009-05-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

I up-cycled the shirts from some old men's dress shirts from a thrift store (see below post about the Presser Foot group project, and made potato leek soup care of Jacques Pepin More Fast Food My Way. I am now in love with that guy. I can actually MAKE what he cooks. I can remember the simple instructions, simple ingredients, and can afford the ingredients as well. Not too many crazy specialty items on the menu. Watch teh show - they're online, he's funny...

I also made a couple of pairs of baby shoes and gave them to Jon's mom for Mother's Day. She had requested a pair or two and I had to make sure she wouldn't try to pay me for them. Don't forget that there is some knitting in there ( a sweater that I cannot reveal as it is destined to be a holiday gift). I don't think that person reads my blog, but better safe than sorry.

Coming next - a few photos of the Chauncey Walker West Memorial thingy/Psuedo Family Reunion...and a few of some little boys in my backyard.

New Presser Foot project

2009-05-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

The new May project is out on Presser Foot, a sewing group blog started by my friend Kelli and her sister.

This month we're making dresses out of men's dress shirts with a tutorial care of MADE guest blogger Dana.

Find the tutorial here on her website. I took a trip to the thift store yesterday and came home with these two shirts:

Can't wait to see how they turn out!

His food vs. Her food

2009-05-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

"Her" food: Shell pasta with scallops (I admit they were frozen scallops), fresh spinach, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic.

"His" food: instant pancakes and sausage.

Sometime you just have to eat separate dinners.

Sam Amidon "Wedding Dress"

2009-05-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

I discovered this video Sam Amidon and director Sigga Sunna Reynisdóttir on this website. I really like the song, but the video is very worthy of my love affair with Guillermo Del Toro style and all things Tim Burton-esque. Just ask me how many times I have watched Edward Scissorhands. Or don't. It's actually kind of scary...

P.S. I also changed my commenting setting. I was told that apparently you were not allowed to comment unless you had a good account or something. No longer - anyone including "anonymous" can comment. Although I prefer to know who you are!

32 Minute Messenger Bag Love

2009-04-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

I found this simple pattern through the DesignMom blog for a "32-Minute Messenger Bag". The full and free tutorial can be found here. I admit that it took me a little longer than 32 minutes, but it always takes me a long time to cut my pieces as I don't have a large cutting mat and have to really take time to make sure everything is squares up.

Here's the finished piece.

You'll have to forgive the next photos. We don't have a full length mirror in the house so, naturally, i had ti get up on the side of the bathtub and try to take a picture. I'm glad I have good balance because it's trickier than you'd think...

I realized that the straps are long enough that I could even wear it as a pack is I were trying to ride my bike or take a walk and don't want all the weight on one shoulder.

And finally, a cover of Oasis' "Wonderwall" song by Ryan Adams that I really like. It isn't a music video - someone just stuck a photo of Ryan Adams on it, but I couldn't find another good place to link to it. I listen to it on slacker.com on one of my custom radio stations, but all the other version on youtube were live and the fans I gotta say just don't sound as good.

The Dandelion Wars

2009-04-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

In the timeless tradition of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, the Roadrunner and the Coyote, and arch enemies everywhere, we bring you a new television show sure to keep you on the edge of your seats and wondering what happens next. Welcome to The Dandelion Wars.

It happened when a certain peson...let's call him "J"...was born with an innate and very strong hatred of dandelions. And worked hard to make his yard look like this:

He is pleased to find that most of his neighbors have well manicured and weed free lawns. However, a certain lawn on the corner and one RIGHT NEXT DOOR have seen fit to amass a large army of weeds that successfully took over many parts of J's domain last year. See exhibit A below and do not be fooled by it's seemingly beautiful appearance. Those weeds are dangerous and can strike at any moment. (And besides...the other lawn with the dandelions just looks unkempt rather than mountain meadow-ish...)

And thus began, the Dandelion Wars. Currently, J is strengthening his defenses with a rigorous fertilizer campaign including a weed and dandelion blocker, and has purchased a special gun (which is attached to a canister of weed killing spray). He has enlisted the help of "M", an incognito assassin, to aid in the fight against the Weedy Army. In fact...M completed her first mission this morning.

How will this bloody fight end? Will the wily weeds win? Will the frantic fertilizers defeat them? Holy dratted dandelions, batman! I can't wait to find out! Stay tuned next week for another exciting episode of...dun dun dun....The Dandelion Wars!

Signs of Life

2009-04-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

I find that holding down a hobby is much harder than holding down a job, but here's a little proof that my current hobbies miraculously still manage to hold my attention.

It's a bug! It's a MONSTER!
No wait! It's a pre-shoe...

And now it's a the real deal. A Kimono Shoe from ithinksew.com. As you can see, the first pair is what I like to call the "Quasimodo" pair since only someone with a seriously deformed foot could wear one of the shoes...but the second shoe came out well and the second pair a little better. I still have to tweak things to get it looking the way I want, but a shoemake is not born overnight I guess.

And finally, the Flower Girl Dress from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. It also has it's own issues, but who doesn't, right? It is very long, although it is meant to be an ankle length dress, but I guess you are supposed to measure the child and determine length.

While it may appear the I have stopped knitting, this is not the case. I admit, it has taken a bit of a back seat to sewing as I break in my new machine, but I am still cranking away at J's sweater and the striped baby dress. Hopefully they'll start looking like something soon so I can post some photos.

Sewing 101

2009-03-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

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Well, I made another pair of baby shoes as well as a little tote bag - it ended up being purse size, it came out a lot smaller than expected, but it is perfect to carry around a single knitting project; you never know when you might need it. I made the bag out of the same tweedy fabric I made the shoes out of. No pics of that yet.

After all that, I realized I just HAD to get a new sewing machine and after a few days of shopping around, I bought a Singer 4166 at Costco. There was another model called the Brother 6000 I saw online with good reviews, but no stored we found carried any brother brand machines and I really wanted to purchase something I could touch and look at. So far I am really pleased with the machine and it is SUCH a nice change to all the frustrations of the old machine.

And so, I made my first piece of clothing since making some pajama shorts in middle school (Mom, do you remember the fabric we bought? White with little brown horseshoes all over?). I was in my wanna-be jockey phase. Anyway...I was invited to join a sew along blog by my old roommate and fav photographer Kelli at a blog she and her sister created called Presser Foot. It was a lot of fun and addicting, and I was able to finish it in a day! There are modifications that I would make in the future, but I am pretty pleased with my first attempt at clothing!

This is supposed to have sleeves, but for details on why it doesn't and what mods I would make, visit the Presser Foot blog (link above). Later today I am going to get a bit of neglected knitting in before my week on again because it will be back to dreaming about all the knitting and sewing projects I want to work on until next week!

Steal of a Deal

2009-03-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

I found this dresser at a store that sells secondhand and surplus items, often from places like Pottery Barn and other expensive companies. They sell all sorts of things and I am particularly fond of their furniture. In fact, we purchased our dining room table there.

So anyway. Fell in love with this, and it was only $93!!! Regularly $400 or something...ding ding ding! A winner! So I put it on hold and went back the next day with Jon to pick it up. While loading it, they noticed that one of the front legs was broken. They said they would refund us or give it to us for half off. I took the deal and for $50 we have this beaut in our office.

Jon later sent me an email with a subject line, "Does this look familiar?". Lo and behold, the dresser was from West Elm (one of our favorite stores - the couches are from there...) and was "on sale" for $669. Yah. I am pretty darn proud.

In other news, read on for another 3 or 4 blog posts about my adventures in craftiness.

Shoes: Part I (Trial Run)

2009-03-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

These were really fun to make and turned out well while not being perfect. No interfacing in these as the fabric was thick enough. I love the simple tweediness and thanks to Jon's sister for her donation from the button jar.

I did make the blue and yellow hat fur a nephew (I already made mittens for his brother so we needed to be fair...) but I have not mastered sizing yet and the hat ended up fitting his not yet 2-year old brother instead of his 8-year old head. Well, such is life and it only took me two nights to make it. I'll have to try again - this time we'll go twice as big!

I Love My Job

2009-03-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

Because I have time to make this...

and go out with an old roommate and buy these...

and these too!

I'll be making shoes and a few bags out of the fabric. I am LOVING the little knitted dress at the top. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino and it is super soft, squishy, and luxurious. It feels fantastic and has the right amount of stretch to make knitting a breeze.

Stay tuned for a trial run on the shoes...

Special Delivery!

2009-03-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

My yarn came in the mail about a week and a half ago! Blue and yellow for hat, brown for a surprise, and the gray tweed for learning to make socks.

This leads me to a dilemma. Storage options. Do all knitter's come to the point where they need a storage solution? Behold.

Stashed neatly next to the couch and ready to satisfy any knitting craving. Or fuel it...

Spring Cleaning

2009-03-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

I am finally donating my first and only stereo. I love this "boombox". It has a manual dial instead of a digital tuner for the radio, two tape decks, cd player which allows you to program a playlist from whatever cd is playing (I loved that...), detachable speakers, - it even has a "high speed dubbing" button for those who remember recording cassette tapes.

I have listened to many many many episodes of This American Life, Prairie Home Companion, Selected Shorts, hours of other NPR programming, and various other musical genres as my taste evolved from oldies and Broadway showtunes, to 90's hits like Third Eye Blind, through my ska rocking phase with Flogging Molly and Goldfinger, to punk music, emo-ish Brand New and Something Corporate, to my current mix of eclectic indie rock like The Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, Blitzen Trapper, Okerville River...

I will miss this beast of a machine, but it is too big and sadly has not seen any use in a year or two. Sentimentality be darned; I'm purging.

But I'll always remember the good times.

I'm not addicted...I can stop anytime I want!

2009-03-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

Behold - the part angora yarn that will one day become a sweater for Jon. It sheds like a bear and when I get up it sometimes make me look like a dog owner, but its super soft and I love the smokey color. We won't disclose exactly how much 9 hanks cost me at the yarn store, but I think it was worth it...right?

I also experimented with making some easy washcloth upgrades for a bridal shower I was going to and that due to some unforeseen events never occurred... They are nothing special, but when the craft bug hits, you just have to make something!

In other news, I am very anxiously awaiting my first online yarn purchase from Knit Picks! They are very inexpensive - I'm talking half as cheap as anything else out there and from the reviews still sell pretty good quality yarn. I bought yarn for a hat for a nephew, a "special surprise" for my sister's baby (Alicia, I can't tell you what is is...but it's for Christmas this year...), and some for a first attempt at sock making. I don't actually want to make socks...but I REALLY want to use all the fabulous sock yarn out there. For instance, ShiBiu yarn.

And those are just a few. They make more than just sock weight yarn, but no one seem to sell anything but sock weight and it is absolutely gorgeous! Like I could eat it type of good. I also found a couple of new knitting outlets I want to try. There is a knitting store I just discovered in Salt Lake that has open knitting sessions Thursday evenings and Friday mornings and I also found a group that meets in downtown on Tuesday evening from 7-9. I can't go tonight due to library duties at church, but I'm excited to try and attend. It's hard to learn EVERYTHING from books and the web...

Lastly, I want to read Friday Night Knitting Club which is a little more...well let's call it "female-oriented" than I typically would read, but I've actually heard a bit of buzz about it and thought it could be itneresting to check out. Thank goodness for the library.

Spring Fever

2009-02-24T15:16:00.001-08:00

It's interesting how all human beings tend towards the same thoughts and/or needs. In today's case it was sunshine and fresh air. My interior car thermometer said 60 degrees as I pulled out of the driveway this afternoon and accompanied family on a walk to pick up kids from school. Remember the phrase "everyone and their dog"? Well, everyone and their dog, and their kids, and their husbands, and grandmas, and grandpas were out walking this afternoon. Green leaves and shoots are peaking out of the ground that was covered in inches of snow just last week and everyone has Cabin Fever.

It seems like the Christmas season happened only yesterday; my Winter wreath is still on my front door. While I'm sure there will be a few more flurries in our forecast, there is no denying that Spring really sprung up on us this year.

In other news - I could wait no longer and splurged yesterday purchasing all of the materials needed for a sweater for Jon. It just might be the most expensive sweater he owns (he does own some expensive ones, but we always buy them on sale...) but keeping me occupied is an important and sometimes difficult task; we really have to account for the hours of entertainment the purchase goes for as well, right? I'm excited to get everything going and have started winding the skeins into balls so I can knit up a swatch. Knitting on size 11 needles is like knitting with the fat crayons they make for children, but the fingers will just have to get used to it. Photos to follow another day...dun dun dun...

Project Progress

2009-02-13T07:39:00.000-08:00

While scarf season is largely over with, I am nevertheless forging ahead with Jon's scarf. I'm getting so close, but I am also running out of yarn. This can only mean...another trip to the yarn store!! I know, you're all as excited as I am. Here is a shot of the scarf en route to it's finished state along with the finished mittens.
Last week at work, I received a voicemail from one of my nephews. He was asking me about a little frog? When I called his mother she said he apparently received a very small toy frog from a friend and the first thing he asked was whether I could knit a little cape for him. I guess that's how your know your "hobby" is out of control.
In addition to trips to the yarn store, I took a trip to the mall a couple of weeks ago as well. I went on a spending spree and managed to get all the following for under $50!! 2 pairs of pants from Anne Taylor Loft, a shirt from Banana Republic, 6 baby gifts, and 3 sweaters from Old Navy. Mom would sure be proud of me and my bargain hunting skills.
And finally, the new mittens I am working on!! I'm really excited about them and it's my first attempt at fair isle/colorwork. It's not as tricky as I thought it would be and the bonus? instant gratification! Because you can see the pattern progressing with each round, endorphins keep getting released, which makes you knit more...which makes more endoprhins...which makes you knit...you get the idea.

Viola! Post War Mittens from Twist Collective which is a site I am in love with! Tons of fabulous knitty inspirations.
Oh - two last things. Drapes I made that I am not entirely happy with but they are growing on me. I liked the fabric; it is actually a little heavier than the normal cotton fabric you normally get... a little stiffer. And then teh other photos are of the new media stand we bought and assembled as well as some new pictured ofr our wall. We got them with Christmas money from parents, so thanks Mom and Dad for decorating our wall!!

Snowy Updates

2009-01-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

No pictures on this entry, kids. Today was the start of my off week, and I have fully taken advantage of the day by doing pretty much nothing! My last off week I went in for 3 days of overtime so today I spent all day listening to The Frames, knitting more of Jon's scarf and, and yes...I did play a little Guitar Hero. It's addicting, what can I say?

Two nights ago at work it snowed all day and even though the city did not get much snow, my work is up on "the benches" at a higher altitude and I came out to about 8 inches on my car. Of course all I had that day was a cool whip container lid in my car to scrape the car with, but the freeway was not too bad and that made it worth it. We didn't get quite as much here at the house, nevertheless, everything is covered in snow and gorgeous.

Work has been a bit crazy - they processed well over 30,000 specimens in December which is typically their "slow" month, but I think everyone is realizing that there isn't going to be a "slow" time anymore. Our department of about 60 people processed about 23000 "excepts" or issues with specimens in addition to weathering a major computer system overhaul/switch over Christmas week. They're trying to overhaul our procedures a bit to help us get caught up which means things are constantly in flux and changing daily. But I still really enjoy my job and the people and it keeps me from being bored.

A few new bands I'm currently hooked on are The Frames as mentioned above, Okkervil River, Shearwater, MGMT, and all the old bands I love and am rediscovering as Jon transfers music from my old hard drive to this computer.

More Knitting

2009-01-05T13:24:00.001-08:00

Here is a photo of the finished hats and sweater sans buttons. Can you tell which is the HUGE hat and which is the more normal sized hat?

The next picture is just a little tree picture since it nice to have a house to decorate this year.

Lastly, Jon's sister was kind enough to email me a photo of her son with the finished sweater on. I finished it just in time for Christmas and forgot to take a final photo.

As you can tell, the next picture is my current project. Mittens! I want to work my way up to the gorgeous Nordic mittens you see with the beautiful intricate patterns, but for now I'm working on making sure there is a hole for your hand and a place for your thumb. They are not as difficult as I had imagined, I just have to get used to knitting small circumferences on the double pointed needles.

I am not sure what I will do after the knitting. I've been flirting with the idea of an afghan, a cardigan or sweater of some sort for Jon, hats with ear flaps, or maybe some double knitting/Fair Isle experiments...I have seen some really
beautiful little girl sweaters...but I think I want to really try and experiment with learning some knew knitting techniques so it may be learning to cable or fair isle/double knitting....

I also want to try and get some Elizabeth Zimmerman knitting books from the library...

If you are my family reading this, have no fear. The next entry is about the visit and there are plenty of photos for you to check out!

Le Hotel West

2009-01-05T12:36:00.001-08:00

While I still can't believe another year has gone by, Le Hotel West rang in the New Year with a full house.

My entire family, including 2 parents, 1 little sister, a second sister and boyfriend, and third sister, husband and baby - all managed to fit into my house for a week. Here are some of the photos from our adventures and escapades.

Spencer, the new baby, managed to steal most of the camera time and was quite generous with smiles and laughter.

Spencer seemed to hit it off right away with Oma and Opa, both of whom were smitten with their first grandbaby. Opa always seemed to be able to get a smile out of Spencer - we are all convinced that his bald head must somehow make Spencer laugh.

Oma knows that it's never to early to start reading and she knows just the right books to start with.
No Aunts here. Malia and Marissa both decided to be Tanta Malia and Tanta Marissa. I've insisted on just being plain old Megan.

LET'S ALL BE VERY VERY SURPRISED OR EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING BUT WE DONT KNOW WHAT!!!!!!

This is what a baby looks like when he is going to be walking around outside in Winter, and be taken on the Trax, and to the mall, and be taken to the Planetarium, and to Costa Vida, and to Temple Square...

The Flipse Family on Mars! We feel right at home. We are kind of weird to begin with.

Dad was voted best weatherman in the family after everyone took their turn on tv.

The last photo is of Malia enjoying "Newtons Daydream" - kinetic art or something like that - which is also at the planetarium and my favorite exhibit they have there.

Thanks to Mom for cooking a LOT of food and making sure we put on some poundage. I do not have a picture of the fridge or freezer but I can say that mine have never looked that full nor will they anytime in the near future.

We had a good time seeing everyone and hope you Flipse's out there had a good holiday stay too!

To quote Malia, May everyone's 2009 be "the best 2009 anyone has ever had ever!"

Knitting

2008-12-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

The rumors are true! In the last few months I have gone from the age of 25 to the age of 52. Knitting has become this total addiction for me and I thought I would show off the projects I have been working on. The first one is a baby sweater I am finally almost finished with. It's a wrap sweater knit all in one piece from a super soft yarn made out of bamboo.

I am also furiously knitting a second attempt at the "Turn a Square" hat from the famous Brooklyntweed. Famous amongst the "knitting community", I suppose... I knit the first one in the round but the store I went to was out of circular needles in the size recommended. I went one size bigger at their suggestion, but in my inexperience I failed to knit a gauge swatch and the hat came out hugemongous; which is definitely a word. I'll be giving it to my brother-in-law who everyone agrees has the largest head amongst those we know. I am almost finished with the modified, second attempt that will hopefully fit Jon.

I upgraded yarns for this project by jumping on the Noro bandwagon, using a self-striping one from the famous japanese brand. First of all, knitting with wool is great and helps keep the tension, but this particular brand is hand-dyed and handspun and known for having really gorgeous colors. I know, enough knitchat, right? In other news, I finally mailed off Christmas cards as Winter decided to really set in by dropping about 7 inches of snow on my backyard. Happy Holidays from Mother Nature!

Oma and Opa's Visit

2008-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is me catching up on posting...

My Oma and Opa were also out here for the baby blessing and we were able to do some Utah exploring. We all went on the Frontrunner for the first time - this photo is at the Trax station in downtown Salt Lake.

We also spent a day exploring Ogden while they were in town, but these photos are all of Salt Lake.

Behold the Planetarium!

Oma and Opa chatting with the sister missionaries who were our guides through the Beehive house. One happened tobe from Norway, I think... Oma and Opa had been there this past year and were very interested in talking to her about her home.

We had a great time and I hope they did too! The West Hotel is open for business all year round...we don't have cable so you'd better like Nova, Matlock, and all the spin offs from The People's Court, but we do offer full amenities, competitive rates, and a Wii video game system.

Roasted Fall Veggie Pizza

2008-11-17T23:49:00.000-08:00

Two words... I COOKED!!

It was really quite good and extremely filling...

Baby Blessing

2008-11-17T23:35:00.000-08:00

Well, about a month ago my sister had her baby blessed.

Here is the proud Papa...

The VERY proud Mama...

Jon and my Opa...

And the whole familia...

A Splash of Color

2008-09-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

I am not allowed to go to Hobby Lobby anymore. I spend too much.

On the flip side, I finally made some pillows which I have been meaning to do for months. I only made 2 so I will need to make a couple more for the other couch, but now there's a little more color in the living room. I SLOWLY getting things put together.

We put some things up on the wall in the living room and the dining room, and I just need one more large piece of art in the living room and the front will be pretty much done as far as the walls go.

I am also trying to ramp up my knitting - I picked up a book and will be trying my first sweater. It could be a long time and a lot of frustration away. but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Updates

2008-09-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

No photos on this one - but hopefully a few to come. I just completed my second week of training for my new job at ARUP Laboratories. They are accelerating my training schedule from 7-8 weeks down to 4 weeks so I am really trying to get my bearings and feel comfortable with the job basics. I;m really enjoying the people and the atmosphere in the department and company alike. It's been fascinating to see how a large lab company runs and I am definitely flexing my brain a lot right now.

House-wise, Jon and I finally did some more wall decorating a couple of weeks ago. Jon is still working on figuring out electrical things in the laundry room and we've started to take out bushes and trees in the front and backyard so we can take advantage of Fall and get our landscaping ideas rolling.

Lastly, with the Legacy Highway finished, the commute from Salt Lake takes only 25-30 minutes (a little more for me since I have to get across town and the lights are unfriendly) instead of an hour. We go freeway speeds allt he way at rush hour instead of at least 50 minutes of stop and go. Let's hope this means fewer inversions this Winter?

Glacier and Cuhnaydia (aka Canda)

2008-09-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

I'm working on editing the 300 photos Jon and I took over the last week while we were in Glacier National Park and Banff National Park in Canada. Mother Nature produced some good and bad weather for us - rain at the beginning and at the end - but we managed to draw on our Grizzly Adams skills and enjoy ourselves anyway. How could we not? Glacier Park is now my numero uno, favorite National Park that I've been to and we are already thinking about another trip next year.

Day 1: We left last Tuesday after finishing up a few things in Utah and set off for Montana on our first real vacation since last November!

Day 2: Rain! After staying in Missoula for the night, we arrived in Glacier mid-morning on Wednesday. Donning a few layers and rain jackets, we set off on a hike up Avalanche Creek. The rain, while limiting my ability to look around, only increased the natural color. The greens were greener - the ground covered with a carpet of verdant, green moss and sprinkled with toasty, golden evergreen needles. There were all sorts of exotic looking plant-life throughout the park and you felt a bit like you were in the some prehistoric dinosaur world. After a few hours of hiking we went back and set up camp. There were various places that held nightly presentations on varying topics and we went to one in our campground on the Birds of Glacier before getting off to bed.

Day 3: Better weather; sunny but still pretty cold. We were in the 40's most of the morning and we made it to mid-50's by afternoon. Logan Pass was reopened after the previous day's snow, and we stopped at the visitor's center there. It was FREEZING and we only managed a few quick photos before setting off for another hike. We headed up for Iceberg Lake, but after spotting a couple of grizzlies, albeit far off, and without bear spray, we turned around and headed up a different, lower path. We ended up at a lake and hiked around it to a waterfall before heading back to camp. We learned that Jon doesn't like to have to cook or wash ANYTHING while camping and so I ate hot dogs and cold chili from the can. Because of all the bears, you can't leave anything out like you can in other campsites and you have to dump your dirty water in a special place, etc. etc. So cooking is a little more work anyway.

Day 4: Even better weather! Beautiful sun and crisp, fall temperatures. We tried to hike to Grinnell Glacier, this time WITH bear spray, but alas! Bears! It's their season to bulk up before hibernation and they are out in force and ready for a meal. We met with various parties coming past us who had been "chased" away by a momma bear and a cub so we turned back and hiked to the Hidden Lake Overlook. Like the entire park, it was beyond words, but we also crossed paths with a small group of mountain goats. Not very afraid of people, they walked right through the crowd, grazing and altogether unfazed by us.

Day 5: Leaving no trace like good outdoorspeople, we disassembled our camp and set off on a short hike on the Garden Wall. A long trail that runs right on the side of a mountain. Falling is not an option; at least not an option you want to think about... After that we set off for Canada and Banff National Park. We arrived late afternoon, checked into our hotel, walked around the oh-so-touristy (oh-TOO-touristy) town and ate at an irish pub we found. The place was like the Aspen of Canada, all yuppies and international people doing what else but SHOPPING! It was pretty difficult to find where to hike and how long the hikes were. It seemed more an atmosphere of drive and look or hike no more than a quarter of a mile. Even the maps often did not note the length of hikes simply saying, "Approx. 75 minutes away from Banff Village. Plan to Spend an hour." Which was not a particularly helpful note. Nevertheless, the area was beautiful and they did have some funny signs.

Apparently they need a van to round up all the Canadian criminals?
The Lego Building...
Can you tell where we're going? I can't... I'm glad there are two red lights though so I know to stop extra hard.
Day 6: We checked out and went North to an iceberg and after almost giving up on finding it, finally noticed a visitor's center and a large crow of people clearly ignoring the signs that said not to cross the rope and walk onto the Glacier. Canadians are so laid back. Then we went south again to Lake Louise and down into Montana where we stayed the night. It rained all day.
Day 7: Down through the rest of Montana and Idaho, into Utah, and finally home to unload the car and get to bed early.

Ok - enough typing!! I'll try to get a full album up in Picasa, but no promises on when.

Trying to Get Crafty

2008-08-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

This scarf has been partially finished since last Winter. I finally saved it from the unfinished projects bin last week and chances are good that I can actually complete it this time! I am learning how to knit buttonholes so that I can experiment with a design idea I have - but it's difficult to describe it in words. I'm thinking of making a really short "scarf" that really just fits right around your neck and then buttons. If you're like me, you're always fighting to keep the scarf wrapped around your neck or fighting to stuff scarves that are too long into your coat. Then, once you have it on, it tends to shift and let the rain or snow in anyway. Hence, the shortened, buttoning, scarf. It shouldn't take too long to get a sample one finished and I'll post a photo if I like the finished product.

Also, Jon and I went with his sister to this place called "Skinny Al's". It is a furniture store of sorts, but they have this great basement filled with crazy stuff. Old school lockers, old metal card catalog drawers, and all osrts of weird odds and ends. Here are a few "treasures" I bought that I didn't know I couldn't live without?

I'm not sure where this came from, but it was probably mounted to the wall so people could pull an envelop and card from the slits in the bottom. I originally planned to use it on the computer desk to store paper and writing utensils, but I found this to be a better way to showcase it. Besides, there isn't any room on the computer desk right now.

These used to be old card catalog drawers. I'll be spray painting them black I think and will probably use them to organize our tools for now. Eventually I'd like them in a more attractive setting - I could store snacks in them or any number of odds and ends. The photos are a bit blurry - I think it is because I left the telephoto lens on the camera instead of bothering to switch it.

Just got my hair cut again - the same girl and I don;t like it QUITE as much as last time. She spent more time on it in June, but I think it's mostly that she styled it differently this time so it looks different even though it is pretty much the same cut. I'm happy with it, it's just hard to get your haircut exactly the same more twice in a row.

A Funny for Friday

2008-08-15T08:22:00.001-07:00

I saw this a while ago but it makes me laugh everytime -

Baby Gives The Evil Eye - Watch more free videos

The Latest

2008-08-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

My last day of work was Wednesday, and I am now officially unemployed! I had a phone interview with ARUP Laboratories yesterday afternoon which I think went well, and I will be leaving for an on-site interview later this morning.

I am applying for a "Referral Testing Rep" position; I would assist clients in ordering tests on samples, sending the samples off to other labs if the local lab doesn't perform those tests, calling clients with their results or help track them, and enter test results into databases. It is a lab environment since you actually handle the samples - lab coat, etc. The HR person told me that there are 3 similar departments and I will be doing a group interview with the heads of all 3 departments so that if one position is filled I won't have to come for multiple interviews with them. Aside from the Referral Testing Dept., there is a Client Services Dept. which is pretty much a huge call center, and the Exceptions Handling Dept. which is similar to the Referral Testing Dept. except that they handle all the problems. That would include tests that came back incorrectly, incorrect names on it, was thawed when it should have been frozen etc. She said it is a lot like detective work. Hopefully I can get a job with either Exceptions Handling or Referral Testing. There is a 12-8:30 M-F opening in referral testing and a 8-4:30 or 7on/7off schedule in Exceptions Handling.

Fingers crossed since I think this would be a good way to get myself into a lab situation - the 12-8:30 shift probably sounds the least appealing to me, but I won't be picky.

On a different note, the house stays really, really clean now that I have more time at home. It has felt like a vacation even though I am staying busy. I still get up at the same time, but yesterday I went on a bike ride about 7am, and cleaned the house and watered the plants, then drove down to the Real Estate School and passed the last school test. Finally! Now they just need to audit my courses and I can sign up for the real licensing exam. I went to lunch with Jon and finally got to see his office...he is definitely spoiled with his nice computer.

Today I did some quick straightening up around the house and soon I'll be off to get gas and hgo to my interview - I have to leave early since I manage to get lost almost everywhere I go - and then I will run errands in Salt Lake until Jon gets out of work and we'll watch the Tour of Utah Criterium downtown. Go Garmin-Chipotle!

Houses, Couches, and Demolition

2008-08-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

If the subject didn't do it for you, check out the house, couch, and demolition photos. Our lovely new couch makes our living room seem like a home instead of a glorified college residence. We're also working on upgrading a couple projects at a time. We are currently painting/decorating the dining room and working on revamping the laundry room.

Behold! The Couch!

Dining room in process. "Tea Light", a light yellow for the walls, and a fresh coat of "Westmoreland White" for the ceiling. We'll see if the doors and trim will need a fresh coat too.

Demolition Man in the Laundry Room

Bike/Computer Room...and currently housing te things we used to store in the laundry room.

The rest of these are for a "blog tagging" I received. I was charged with taking photos of certain areas of the house (as-is...no cleaning up), and I never managed to get these photos posted. I think I missed a few shots, but here they are anyway. Lucky for me I had cleaned recently!
My closet - Jon's is the same size as mine on a different wall.

The most important room in the house?

Notice that the freezer is more full than the fridge. I had one friend who did this tag on her blog remark on all the juice in her fridge saying "I guess we're juice people." Well, i guess we are freezer/sauce junkies. I have a lot of sauces...makes for easy meals.

I was supposed to take a photo of my favorite shoes...so here they are. Keens. You could say I am quite "keen" on them? Har har.

Ok. That does it. You might not get any photos for another month knowing me, but hopefully these will tide you over.

4th of July (A Month Late)

2008-08-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

2 day old Owen made his first group
appearance on the Fourth at a family dinner.

Proud Papa
Proud Grandma

Proud Great Grandma

So he DOESN'T actually hate ALL babies...

Alicia's Baby Shower

2008-08-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the first of a number of posts containing....PHOTOS! First a few of Alicia's baby shower featuring a shot of the "goodies", our good friend Erin who is also 'preggo', and Alicia opening some gifts which include the all important Butt Paste.

Sign me up for parenthood - I am ALL ready to be slathering that stuff on someone's behind!

Babies Everywhere!

2008-07-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

Everywhere but here at my house!

Two weekends ago I went to my sister's baby shower. She is due by the end of August. It was fun to see all the little baby stuff and hear all the parenting advice and funny stories. It is weird but soon the family will have a first grandchild roaming about.

Then last Wednesday the 2nd, Jon's sister had her baby boy who they finally decided to name Owen. He was 8lbs 8oz. with lots of dark hair and thus far a very mellow temperment. That's compensation for having to throw up a few times a day for the first 4 months I guess, right?

I just got the photos on the computer yesterday so I will add them on here as soon as I can.

Couch!

2008-07-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

We are finally supposed to be recieving our couch today! After almost 3 months due to a screw up of the inital delivery we will finally be proud owners of a new couch.

Good things come to those who wait I suppose, but we still need to call them and try and get our shipping refunded...I just have to wait until I am in an agry mood.

Dave's Wedding

2008-06-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday in the Bountiful Temple, Jon's brother Dave finally tied the knot. He is the last of the 8 siblings to get married. If you want to check out some photos click on the Picasa Photos link on the right and check out the "Dave's Wedding" album - here are a few to start you off. We'll be sending a complete set to Dave & Karly, but I don't think everyone wants all 300+ photos. It's about 1.3GB and I am not sure how many cd's it's going to take. If you'd like an abbreviated "West Family" version, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope and a CD-R.

Just kidding. Shoot Jon or me an email and we'll figure out how to get photos to you.

Oma & Opa's Visit

2008-06-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

This morning, Oma & Opa will leave Utah. We were able to spend one more night with them last night after work just talking and said goodbye to them before we left again for work this morning.

We had a wonderful visit with them and enjoyed spending time reminiscing about old times and hearing new stories too. It was fun to spend time as a group but also nice to have quieter times in the evening to just talk. It was also fun to sweep Opa in cribbage - a rare occurance and one that happened more by luck than skill I think!

We will miss them, but I am sure they will be glad to return to their own bed after a busy couple weeks of travelling. As for me, I'm really going to try hard to get some photos up tonight of the past week - fingers crossed...

Moab & Cribbage

2008-05-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend was fun and also completely exhausting. Jon and I were up late on Friday between picking up a rental car, extra camping gear, and packing. We left Saturday morning at 5am to pick up the Su family (Mr. & Mrs. Su and their 3 children) whom we were escorting down to Moab for a weekend camping trip. Mr. & Mrs. Su were in town from China for their daughter's high school graduation. Friends of Jon's brother who spent time in China, we were asked to take them camping as Jon's brother would be in D.C over the weekend.

We arrived in Moab about 10am, stopped at a diner for brunch, and hiked to Delicate Arch. We finished about 3pm and went to the store to get dinner for that night and food for Sunday. It was an experience! The Su children all speak english to varying degrees, but the parents speak very little and Jon and I don't speak any Chinese. I forget that not everyone knows what peanut butter is... We finally got that taken care of and went back to our campsite to make dinner. They sure could pack it away! In total, we ate 10 smoked sausages, a pack of hot dogs, an entire pre-cooked chicken, 4 huge boneless skinless chicken breasts, a loaf of some sort of cheese bread, 2 containers of mushrooms, a red pepper, marshmallows, hot chocolate and cider, and a bag of chips.

On Sunday we packed up our gear and hiked to Landscape, Partition, and Wall Arch. We ate tuna fish for lunch and headed back about mid-afternoon. After dropping them off we took the rental van back, dropped some borrowed camping gear back at Jon's parents, and collapsed in bed.

Monday was just as busy; laundry, cleaning, unpacking, and errands in the morning then dinner with the Pfaffroth Clan. After dinner we went to my sister's apartment to play what else but CRIBBAGE! I have not played for years and while I managed to beat Chris the champ once, he trounced me the second time around. We had a good time but did not get home until almost midnight and another night went by without much sleep. Jon was the real trooper of the weekend doing all the driving and most of the coordinating, and somehow managing to stay in good spirits the entire time. I'm pretty sure I don't deserve the guy.

It was not a very restful weekend but it was so much fun to get outside and enjoy the one corner of Utah that had good weekend weather, and visit with friends and family.

Busy Days Ahead

2008-05-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Jon and I were denied a spot to race in the Logan to Jackson Bike Race. This was the first year they did a lottery instead of first come first serve. We're a little bummed, but I'm sure there will be other semi-crazy things to aspire to.

In other news, we have lots of activities in the coming month. My Oma and Opa come out Memorial Day to help send off my cousin on a mission and will be staying for about a week. I want to have a BBQ while they are in town now that I have a backyard and a grill. The weekend after that Jon's family all hope to go up to Bear Lake and boat and stay the his grandparents cabin as everyone will be in town for the wedding the following weekend.

I guess this means we'll have to keep the house clean...

What a Weekend!

2008-05-19T06:38:00.001-07:00

HOT! We had 88 degree weather Saturday and the temperature hovered around 90 degress Sunday as well. The heat wave will continue through tomorrow and then storms move in for Memorial Day. We won't mind the break in the heat -

On Friday Jon and I went for a bike ride up Emigration Canyon after work which was brutal for me, but it's a good feeling when you get to the top. Saturday we decided to forgo our planned 30 mi. ride as Friday's was a little tougher than anticipated and ran errands/did housework in the morning. That afternoon we were invited to join Jon's sister, husband, and 2 boys for a hike up to and through Timpanogos Caves. Jon's sister is about 7 1/2 months pregnant and their youngest boy is only 4, but they put on their "super-strong hiking legs" and had a really good time. Some of the formations in the cave (which was about 43 degrees and felt wonderful after the hike up) are only found in 2 other caves in the world! I had never been there, and suprrisingly neither had Jon so it was an adventure for all. The busy but fun weekend left us completely exhausted by bedtime and still feeling the effects on Sunday.

The photo at the top of the blog is from one of our trips...but I can't remember if it was last year or even the year before...it's strange to think we've been married close to 2 years now even though I know that is not really a long time! I know I need to post more photos, but it's difficult because I typically post from work. Jon and I carpool and I arrive quite early. Unfortunately, that means I don't have access to all of our pictures. I'll try hard to get house pictures up soon and also a few from some of our other weekend adventures.

Bike Riding Weather

2008-05-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

With warm weather finally beginning to creep in, Jon and I have been taking the opportunity to get out and do yard work and, of course, ride our bikes. We won't find out if we've been granted spots in the September Logan to Jackson bike ride, but we are training all the same.

Last night we went for a ride and rode through a lot of the newer subdivisions of homes around us. I forgot to bring sunglasses and hopefully won't make that mistake again because there were bugs out. Imagine the grill of your car after a long drive filled with bugs...except it's your face. Jon kept trying to talk through a closed mouth and I kept getting them in my eyes. There was a lot of spitting going on. It's really quite pleasant to heat a spatter of bugs on your helmet and face!

In any case, we still had a good time and I was pleasantly surprised to find we had gone a little over 17 miles. Not too bad for a weekday ride. I'm sure Jon could have ridden much further and faster, but now that he's married he's nice enough to make concessions for his wife.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

2008-05-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

Having been a fan of the blogging movement for some time now, and finding that keeping in touch with old friends is harder than it seems, we've decided to start our own blog. Admittedly, there may have been some coercion directed at Jon on my part, but I promised not to share any state secrets over the blogosphere.

Most of the people I know are on blogger here and so we'll probably end up using this site, however, we really like wordpress. We just have to decide if we have enough time to customize that one...it has more options but requires a bit more work.

Anyhoo - hopefully in the next couple of weeks we'll get something and running. As you can see, I haven't even quite gotten the banner at the top right yet...