Quite Possibly The World's Most Cutest Shoes

For our upcoming Two-Week-February-Road-Trip-Oh-Seven I decided I would need to only bring one good pair of shoes.
(this may end up being only mostly true as I will surely need flip-flops for Florida and warm snow boots for hiking in Canada)

Ebay is the place to shop for cute shoes at the best price. They are oh-so-comfy and as you can all see, they are darn cute.

On a side note, I was shopping at the mall yesterday for clothes for the hubby (at the recommendation of some very deal-savvy friends) and found him some unbelievable deals on stuff. Really nice dress shirts for $8! Sweaters for $11! We almost picked up a great blazer for $30, but it just wasn't quite long enough in the arms. The man has monkey arms, I swear. Frankly, I may have to make him one. *light bulb over head*

Aaanyway, one of my other reasons for going to the mall was to buy some laundry soap from Victoria's Secret. It's my favorite. The smell, the softeners...it's the best for your delicates. Well. It is now discontinued. I couldn't believe it.

"What am I going to wash my underwear in!?" I asked the sales girl. She didn't have an appropriate response for me at all.

Fortunately, you can buy anything on Ebay. Even laundry soap.

A Children's Rhyme

Two Dead Mice. Two Dead Mice.

See how they run.

See how they flee.

They must have got in through the floor crawl space.

Our cats caught them fast, they didn't have a chance.

I never thought I would see such a sight.

As two dead mice.

The First Shipment

I love to order things online. So when I found a fabulous fabric store (fabric.com) I sort of went nuts. They have such great deals on material! Designer prints, simple prints, everything imaginable. And the CLEARANCES! Oh my, it makes my head spin.

See anything you like? I'm going to start making up a bunch of different adorable aprons and start selling them on ebay. The apron store is opening soon!

What a Couple of Losers

I've never really been a big fan of squirrels. Out in the woods to see them scampering up and down trees is OK; their big bushy tails swishing back and forth.

However, when they're in my yard eating my vegetables or terrorizing the birds, I have a tendency to yell at them. And I will admit that I have thrown sticks at them before. Don't worry, I have terrible aim.

For the past three months or so, we have had two squirrels living in our soffit. It is not open to the attic, just an enclosed space all the way around the top of our house. I could hear them tearing around after each other, racing each other in a mini marathon, sometimes stopping to fight and then taking off again.

This week I finally hired someone to repair the spots where the metal pieces were unattached, enabling the squirrels easy access in and out of their little 'home'.

One squirrel was trapped out. One squirrel was trapped in.




One squirrel now has no ability to get to the food he has been storing up for months. One squirrel now has no ability to get out to a water supply.

The one that is stuck on the outside has been running up and down the tree right by the house chattering and trying to find a new way in.

The one that is stuck on the inside has been running around in circles trying to find a new way out. And he has been pounding on the siding...I think he can see a little bit of light through a crack and is trying to bash his way through. Unfortunately for him, once he smashes through all he will do is fall two stories straight down.

I'm not a squirrel hater. I do feel sad for the squirrel who is trapped and for the squirrel who now has to start from scratch to store his food.

Yet there is also a sense of success in knowing that very soon they will not be burrowing into my home any longer. They will not have a chance to destroy my siding or make a mess of the entire soffit.

And the whole this is really really funny.

Heard Last Night

"What's this dough in the refrigerator?" He asks me as he searches for an evening snack.

"I don't know. Was it on the shelf?" I ask, thinking it is probably a roll of pie crust dough.

"It was way in the back."

"What does it look like?" I continued to yell from the living room.

"A turtle?"

Not Just Another Apron

It was also my first sale! Granted, my mother-in-law bought it as a gift for someone, but that still counts, right?

This is the Upstairs Hall

The hall without paint here on the left. You can kind of see the cutting in around the trim.


Which looks surprisingly like the hall with paint here on the right. It's just a bit lighter than the downstairs green. Honest. It's green.




But after a long day of work, the Picture Project is finished! The hall can be named Complete.
It seriously took us all day long. Scanning old pictures in. Then taking pictures of some of the ones that didn't scan well. Older pictures really don't scan very well.

There are a couple more that I need to photoshop and I am actually out of frames, which is phenomenal because I have always felt like I seem to have a million of them floating around the house. Anybody have any extras that are interesting? I would like another red one or at least something colored.

The trick will be to keep them mostly level with each other. Fortunately, we don't live near trains or have many serious earthquakes.

Though the way the cats tear through here I'll be lucky to keep them on the walls at all.

Fluffy

My cat.

Clouds.

A Stuffed Teddy Bear.

Baby Blankets.

Shag Carpet.



The snow falling in mounds.

This is the Hall *Updated*

And I love the new paint. Sure, it may not look very interesting to you, but the walls are a fresh, new color and the table is re stained.

Now, I have that nice little pot with a plant in it and the fabulous red ceramic vase sitting on the table. But I'm not convinced that it is the perfect arrangement. First of all, there are always supposed to be an odd number of items together and secondly, it just doesn't completely do it for me.

I need a suggestion for the perfect little table arrangement. Any item you've seen that should go here? Or something that has been floating around the net that I just have to pick up to make the perfect ensemble?

Thanks,

Waiting for Inspiration


*Update*

Ok, so here is the key hook. It's new and really cute and I actually got it for free b/c the engraving was done really badly so they refunded me...but I didn't need to send it back!

Anyway, I don't need the table for keys. The table is purely decorative at this juncture. It's not big enough for coats or much, really.




This is the hallway from another angle. Sticks I love, but I've already got 'em.

Oh, and do you like my new curtain? You can see it hanging there. It's supposed to be a Roman Shade, but I haven't sewn the rings or pulleys onto it yet, so it's just a shade.












Your suggestions and ideas have been fabulous, really. But I have already done all those things. Oh, and there's a mirror to the right of the table on the door that you can't see. So I have that too...

Now you see why I'm at a loss!?

Winter Wool Skirt

I have to say I was very pleased with how well my skirt turned out. For the most part. Except for the part that involved my need to make things much more difficult than they should be and except for the part where I was far to lazy to correctly do the thing that was more difficult.

All that to tell you that I have been sewing for years and still learn several new lessons. For example:

A. Don't buy a pattern that says "For Dummies" anywhere on it. It is actually much more riduculous and confusing than a normal pattern.
B. If you are adding something to your project that is not in the pattern (like an extra lining or interfacing to create stiffness) make sure you're not a lazy incompetent. Those two factors added together will ensure that the project will be a thorn in your side. And that you will swear at several inanimate objects quite profusely.
C. Don't spill coffee on your project mere hours before you need to wear it. You will inevitably smell like coffee all evening. And be rather damp.

Brought to You By the Letter B

Red Apron

Very cute red apron. With a very silly black & white polka dot lining.

Need an apron? Let me know and I can customize one just for YOU!

Productive

Thank you to all of you who sent well wishes. It's been almost a week and the grieving is easier, though there are still little reminders of sadness. However, the other kitties seem more loving and more snuggly so that has helped.

Anyway, I have been trying to be as productive as possible to keep myself busy. The hallways have been painted this week and all that needs to be done to finish that up is a bit of touch-up, staining a table, picking up and hanging the new light switch plate and a cute new key hook. Tomorrow I'll be sewing the curtains for the windows. I love the new color and the freshness it brings as soon as you walk in the front door.
Actually, that's not really all taht needs to be done. I am planning on printing, mounting, and hanging a ton of family pictures on the upstairs hall walls. So my project still has several aspects left to be worked on before I am content...I'm not taking pictures of the final project until it's really DONE.

I also made another very cute apron with a friend (red with a very cute black & white polka dot lining) and am currently finishing up a beautiful grey wool skirt for a wedding I'm going to tomorrow. More pictures will be forthcoming!

He's Really Gone

I kept thinking I would change my mind or something would come up or I just wouldn't be able to go through with it. I keep telling myself it's just a stupid cat. There are bigger problems in the world.

There weren't really any other options. He may find a farm to live on, or he may get adopted by some nice little old lady. But he's really really gone.

I think Andy and I both cried ourselves to sleep last night. And I just can't stop.

A Few Moments (or Days) of Silence

I'm trying not to really think about it at all. Otherwise, I'll just sit here and cry. I'm crying typing.

Can I really send him away to a new home?

He was our first kitty. We got him before we were even married. He has the cutest little meow, the saddest little face. He likes to lick your hair and purrs so loudly when he's on your lap trying to read your book.

But he peed on my plant window. And the tile floor. And the wall behind the stove. The STOVE! I have to cook there!! All this after almost two months of re-training. If that didn't work, nothing will. It was honestly the last straw. The last three straws, really.

My sweet Iggy with a Hitler mustache. My tall kitty with big green eyes. He likes to play hide and seek around the house. He'll chase you up the stairs and then wait for you to turn around and chase him back. He can jump higher than any of the the other kitties.

I truly can't take him away myself. A friend is coming tomorrow to pick him up and "take him to find a new, happier future." I am accepting that as whatever it may be. I don't want to know. I am simply so grateful that she is willing to do this for me as she knows I can't do it.

Yep, crying while typing is hard to do. Sheesh, it's just a cat. Just a sweet, innocent kitty who never meant any harm. He doesn't mean to do what he does.

You may have to keep reminding me about the stove. Maybe every day for a while.

It feels like such a life-altering thing. And in a sense, it really is. There's this little body that has lived with us and who we've cared for for six years. No, he's not human, but that doesn't mean we haven't had a huge emotional attachment to him. There will be something missing from our lives. Something will truly change forever. I know I'll look back in a few years or months and not feel as I do now, and that knowing is what is helping me get through. Seems so silly that it's so huge but it is.

I will miss you, my sweet Iggy. We have loved you and cared for you and snuggled you. We have fed you and played with you and brushed your soft, glossy fur. We will cry for you and miss seeing you in your favorite spots. Oh dear, there I go crying again.

3-D Cookies

What more could you ask from a New Year's party than a cookie-decorating contest!? Or a Mario-Party-8-Player Tournament? Or enormous bottles of champagne? There we go, now I have your attention.

From Sojourners Today

Whoever is on a journey towards God goes from one beginning to another beginning. Will you be among those who dare to tell themselves: "Begin again! Leave discouragement behind! Let your soul live!"

- Brother Roger of Taize