spring fever

Yes all it takes is more than two pretty days for us all to get spring fever. Remember that time changes this weekend. Brandi hung clothes on her new retractable clothes line yesterday. I love it.

I love March!!!

Today was a great start to the Spring season. We got outside for a bit to play w/Sammy and Henry. I also did a three mile walk w/ Julie. Charlie helped some of the other Dad's prep the baseball fields for this season.

I've got burgers ready for the grill and am boiling some Farfalle for pasta salad w/ beer in hand. Life is good. All I need now is a fire in the pit and some company.

The Knox B&B

This weekend Kathy got to try out her new car and paid us a visit in southern illinois. We tried out the new karaoke machine, Crissy learned to crochet, we took a walk at the river and of course we ate RedDog's delicious food.

ONE TOUGH KID!!!!

And I thought labor was rough!!!

Incase you can't read the bottom of the picture, it says " Tyler Cannon shit this 8-point buck on Oct. 29th, 2007".

Sup Yo?

Hey Ya'll..

What is going on?  I've been keeping pretty busy these days.  Still working 32 hour work weeks.. fun fun.  Last weekend Tanner was here and we went snowboarding.  I took lots of pics and have been fighting to get them uploaded...  probably too big and too many at once.  I should chunck it out.  This past weekend we kept fairly busy, w/ the inline humidifier, painting bretts room, it all went very well.

So, I missed my pottery class cuz I picked Tanner up at the airport, then last week the weather had everything canceled.. bummer.  So, I'm sooooo anxious to see my first peices since they have been glazed.

I have four classes left this semester, and my group has not finalized our presentation.  I hate group work!! 

I think we are going to PA for Easter to see Mom, Dick, Dad, Troy, Becca and Lilly.... 

Shelby and her family flew out on the 21st. They got to England all in one piece.  I guess the trip was a bit stressful, but they made it and are now looking at rentals.

I tried to call Tanya three times cuz I was sad about Shelby being gone and I wanted to commiserate w/someone, but she never answers her phone.  Oh well....

I drank beer w/Sue this past Sunday, I don't get to see her much anymore....  So, that was nice.

I miss Charlie's band... practices were fun. 

Not much crafting going on... I've been to cerebral lately w/work, school, taxes, etc...

Lastly, as if  you had to ask.. Yes, I'm reading "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle.  I'll let you know how that goes..  so far so good.

It's finished

probably everyone knows by now that i finished the king sized quilt i have been working on forever. Tif and Jerrod got married in september so i am only a little behind schedule. i think the quilt was worth the wait.

Blow-Up Bob

Allright, I've heard of a lot of uses for blow-up dolls but this was definately a new one for me!!!

Blow-Up Doll Stands in for Groom

Friday, February 15, 2008

GROVE CITY, Ohio - If one bride felt lighter than air in her wedding gown, her groom certainly felt like air itself as 19 couples renewed their vows near Columbus.
Sheila Smith's husband, Bob, had to go away on business and couldn't make the Valentine's Day recommitment service at Grove City United Methodist Church. So friends brought a life-size inflatable doll to serve as a stand-in.

They dressed Blow-up Bob in dress pants, a shirt and tie, and taped on a head-shot photo of the real Bob Smith.

His wife was blown away, because she thought she'd only be serving as matron of honor for four of her friends. After Sheila Smith phoned her husband to tell him about his air-filled alter ego, she wiped away tears as she told how he laughed so hard he couldn't speak.
---
Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com

Just keepin busy

Jo, you should be a spokesperson for Kitchen Aid! I swear, if the folks at KitchenAid had read your last post they probably would've begged you to take a mixer for free and just advertise it to your friends. I want one now, and I wouldn't even use it!

We started Project Pantry yesterday. I say started, 'cuz its gonna take a lot longer than I had originally thought. The whole back porch looks like Jo's rolltop desk! We are taking everything out, checking expiration dates, washing the walls and shelves, and adding more dividers to aid in organization. I just hate how much stuff we throw away 'cuz we forgot it was in there back behind something else.

Next step...Project Bedroom Rearrangement! (I am my mother's daughter, ya know!)

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Guess what I got for Valentines Day???

Charlie bought me a KitchenAid Professional 5(tm) Plus Mixer! It has a high performance 450 Watt motor, direct drive all-steel gear transmission, 5-quart capacity wide bowl, POWERKNEAD(TM) spiral dough hook, and a professional bowl-lift design. My lovely KitchenAid boasts a gleaming jewel-like finish in Onyx black in a sleek design, and it was assembled with pride in Greenville, Ohio!!!

So, I decided it was time to clean up the junk pile on the counter next the fridge and finally move that old microwave down to the basement. I cleaned out my old canisters and decided to begin using my tin set because you can actually scoop flour right out of it. Now you can actually see my hand-carved wooden box! I got that two years ago from an artist at the Sheep & Wool festival. It is the most expensive straw holder in the world... Amazingly, straws fit perfectly in the lower drawer, so handy when I'm guzzling margaritas. Mad cash fits in the upper left drawer, but we don't have any right now, so don't get any ideas. I recently found a box in the closet in the spare room that had not been unpacked since we moved and I found my glass bread pan!!! I found a few other things too, like .. um.. my wedding dress!! ha ha... anyway, the glass pan holds my latest recipes perfectly!! I love it. So, I'm thrilled w/my new mixer and the use of the canisters, which makes for a lovely baking station!!

So, you are probably thinking... what happened to all the clutter that was on that counter.... Well, I can't close my rolltop desk now!

I'll get to that later, I'm cooking right now!

I think they liked it!

 

I made some homemade pizza for dinner tonight.

I think the guys like it a lot!

WORST WINTER IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS HISTORY

hey everybody we have power. on tuesday morning about 7:30 our power went off, i thought no big deal. but two hours later when the temp in the great room had dropped enough for me to wrap up in a quilt, i started prodding Red Dog to go get the generator out of the barn. So he huffed and puffed, but put his clothes on and slogged out to the barn to get the generator. i guess i should back up and tell you that we started getting sleet and freezing rain Monday night and lost power a couple of times during the night. Anyway the yard was covered in a sheet of glass so it was a pretty big deal to even make it to the barn.
he got the generator going and then came the worry that we would run out of gas to put in it. the whole town of olmsted was without power and the surrounding farmers we knew so that meant he would have to go further afield to find fuel. mounds had fuel so off he went. meanwhile i sat in a chair where the light was good and read a book. what a luxury to just sit and read a book. i couldnt clean, sew, talk on the phone, or watch tv so i actually finished a book and truly enjoyed the read. i did get up and make a batch of chilli and biscuits with a pinch of sage in them and oh yeah some fudge with toffee bits it them. when rd got home with fuel he rewired the generator to cover half the house, so we had tv, lights, fridge, freezer, and emergency phone in the great room. he turned off the power when we went to bed and got up in the middle of the night and turned it back on for a couple of hours. it still was only 50 in here when i got up.
miss linda had to deliver mail in cape on wed. so we had cloey and jerrin. we had ramen noodles and i baked a marble cake for them so we had a fun day. all and all 34 hours without power went by pretty fast, thanks to my husband for keeping me warm and happy. what a fun adventure.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Are you looking for some comfort food this winter?

My mom ran across this recipe for spaghetti carbonara on Martha's website.    My sister made this for us about a year ago...  It is sooo yummy!

Keeping track of Knoxie and the Dog

If you haven't talked to mom recently, you may not be able to for a short while. Southern Illinois was hit by an ice storm and their power is out. They do have a generator, so they won't be turning into parentcicles, but they have been limiting their use of nonessential items (phone). The oven works and mom's been bakin' up some biscuits...almost makes me wish I could be there. Almost, but not quite.

The Flu strikes again...

In response to Hurl Fest, I have recently been invited to that not so fun party. About two weeks ago in the wee Monday morning hours, I found myself at my own little hurling party. Word of advise for those of you who may have been exsposed to the flu, be careful what you eat. Salsa and chips were not the best night before a Hurl fest food. The flu bug is fast spreading and devastating. Students are dropping like flies and Eastern and I found myself out for two days with a fever and some other not so pleasant side affects. I have had one of the more milder experiences, but there are people in my classes who were out for two weeks. Take vitamins often and remember to wash your hands. It makes me nervous about starting a teaching job in August since most teachers spend the first two years constantly sick. Thank god for Airborne. I think there should be a scientific study on the the immune system of long time teachers. I think we would find the cure for most common illnesses. Well I wish all of you a flu free season from here on out.

Naan or Nan or however you spell it.

have you ever been to an Indian restaurant?

If so, you have probably had a side of Nan.

I came across a recipe for Nan yesterday and I can't wait to try it!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Srainowing

I have decided since the weather can't decide whether it is snowing or it is raining that I will call this srainowing. That word encompasses both the rain and the snow, both of which I don't like anymore.

Fun with language

Hurl is a deceptively cool sounding word. Reminiscent of whirl and twirl, a hurl fest sounds like loads of fun. Or a new Olympic sport. If it were the Olympics Brett would be a Gold Medal Hurler. Too bad it isn't as cool as it sounds; my sympathies are with you.

Speaking of fun words, yesterday I was reading 16th and 17th century scientific texts (Crissy and I also know how to really have fun!) and I stumbled upon a new favorite word. Abstruse. I thought it was "made up," but its not. I like the way it sounds, like a blending of abstract and obtuse which is very close to its definition. From Latin "to hide" or more specifically " away + push" the definition is: difficult to penetrate or understand; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge. Which is exactly how I feel about 16th and 17th century scientific texts!

On a side note, I'd like to discuss things that are commonly lost. Keys, marbles, early European explorers, your lighter at a party. Less common would be checkbooks, the ink pen that actually works, or the family pet. Less common, but it happens. So....how do you lose a car? I'm not talking "somebody drove me home after the party and I can't really remember where I parked." I'm talking about the THREE car dealerships I talked to yesterday that showed a vehicle in their inventory, but couldn't seem to lay their hands on the car itself. What the hell?

Hurl Fest

Julie  had hurl fest w/ little Travis on Friday.  Jenny had hurl fest w/ Walker on Saturday.  Debbie had hurl fest w/ Brian and Cody on Sunday.  Julie had hurl fest again, with David and Wilson on Sunday also.  We had hurl fest last night with Brett.  What a great time.. The hurling occurred every hour from 9pm to 3am.  He is much better now, clearly worn out, but better. 

I survived

Well, I survived the first day in my new position. I spent the first few hours talking to the manager and getting a feel for his expectations and finding out the general lay of the land. Then I drove to Bloomington for a general welcoming and training. For those of you not experiencing the joy of central Illinois weather I will tell you that the trip was...interesting.

Yesterday the entire region was blanketed in a horrendous fog. What should've been a 3 hour round trip took 4 1/2 hours. Until yesterday I'd never seen semi trucks on the interstate driving less than 50 mph with their hazard lights on. I drove with blind faith in my newfound luck. Fortunately the District Manager backed out of the meeting so the Store Managers conducting it had to make something up for us to do. They spent 3 hours teaching us some tricks and giving suggestions for daily routines. Perfect!

Most of my (former) peers are making the transition well. They seemed to have taken the approach that waiting until Monday was a formality. People started bringing issues to me on Saturday. I'll take that as a positive sign that I'm approachable.

Now, more than ever, I feel the need to reinvigorate my crafty side to enforce my identity outside of work. I have a couple of little wood projects and suddenly I am interested in starting on them!

P.S. Spring is just around the corner...how do I know? Home Depot has patio sets!

Bra Purse

Ok, I could not help but to share this one...

When I saw the words...  Bra Purse, I just had to check it out...  The instructions begin "These bags have been made famous by their use to promote awareness of Breast Cancer. "  While I know several women, more than I'd like to admit, that have been diagnosed and treated for Breast Cancer, and I really do support them and the cause, but this... well... this... leaves me speechless.

This totally crafty project can be found on www.craftbits.com. I do believe that I have a few bras that are no longer in use if anyone is in need of supplies!!

New to the Blog

Hello again,
I am new to the Blog life, but if you click the title "I am Weak" it will bring up the picture and bio on the dog I found. I don't know if this is common knowledge. Ok thanks for reading.
Bye

I am Weak....

Hello,
It is great to join the Front Porch. I have some added time on my hands as some of you know. First things first, I want to learn how to make a scarf.... any suggestions for books to learn from. Second, I saw this video on CNN about abused fighting dogs and that led to a search for a shelter near me. I found the perfect dog and I am seriously pouting to Kathy for her. She is staying strong - with very good reasons might I add- but I can't help the desire to give this dog a good home. Some of you may not know that I have a very cute Pomeranian named Jared who is spoiled rotten. I have a lot of time to train a new dog and I thought it might jump start my ambition to do some more excercise. I put a link in so the rest of you could fall in love too. Maybe Kathy will break, but I'm not one to push. I might just show her the picture.(Evil hehe) So to give her fair game feel free to tell me why I shouldn't get another dog. I'm open to reasoning... Thanks for the invite Jo, I love what you do on this site.

As an alternative...

"...I used my trusty Modge Podge..."
As an alternative to decoupage products I have started to use the faux finishing glaze that you add to paint for wall techniques.

Some advantages are:
1) you can buy it by the quart/gallon for about $12/$25 versus $8-10 for 8oz. of Modge Podge.
2) over time decoupage products can turn yellow and I haven't had that happen with the glaze.
3) it is thinner and easier to spread, which is especially nice for large projects. It goes farther.

Some disadvantages are:
1) is thinner and easier to spread, which can be a pain for very small paper projects.
2) there can be some color transfer so make sure you don't work out of the original container. This is especially true when working with printer inks or tissue paper.

Don't get me wrong, I also love Modge Podge, but I wanted to share my experience with an alternative just to let everyone know that there was something else out there. As with many good discoveries this one was born of necessity for large amounts of inexepensive product! You can also ask your paint retailer to tint the glaze to achieve certain effects such as brown for aging (tea stained look) or white for sun-bleaching. I have even heard of people using tinted glaze to change the look of existing wallpaper just so they can live with it for awhile longer!

Heart Necklaces

I saw this while browsing my google reader, which I'm still thoroughly addicted to.

These are called Sweetheart Necklaces.  Aren't they cute??

I made one for my niece Audrey and one for Tanya's little girl Kayla.  They were super simple to make.  I made them yesterday while Charlie was working late, and I left them on the cookie sheet when I went to bed, and thought... nah... he won't try to eat them.  Well, I was wrong!  Oopsie...  I did not follow the instructions exactly, I added food coloring to make them pink.  I did not paint them.  I used a red sharpie for their names then used my trustie Modge Podge to seal them.  Then I used my cotton yarn to make the necklace.  I thought I had some nice ribbon, but could not find it....  ribbon would have been nicer, but I used what I had.  Then the dilemma was, how do I string them... you can see I tried two methods and I'm not sure which one I like better.

I'm going to take these w/me to Tanya's today for the Hiller family farewell open house.  I can't believe they are leaving the country for three years!!!!!!!!  I'm  starting to get really upset about it... UGH! 

Book Thongs

 I saw these Book Thongs on CrochetMe and fell in love.  The original pattern calls for a tassel on the end, but I'm not a tassel kind of girl, so when I found these beads and pendent's on sale at Michael's for $1 a pack, I knew that I would replace the tassel w/the pendent.

This is my very first crochet project w/thread, and it certainly takes some getting used to~  My gauge and tension were way off on the first one, got a little better on the second one.  I'm on to my third, I'm trying really hard on the third because I want to give to my friend Julie for her birthday next week.  I think she will like it.