Gift List

Dear Husband:

I have been working really hard on my Christmas list. I know how much you love working from a list. I hope this helps make shopping easier.

I would not like twelve drummers drumming. Our upstairs neighbors make enough noise for the whole neighborhood.
I would not like eleven pipers piping. If they're related to the Pied Piper, we'll be overrun with rats, and we're still battling the ladybugs.
I would not like ten lords a-leaping. I'm afraid we don't have much to leap over, so they would get bored.
I would not like nine ladies dancing. We'd have to move all of our furniture out of the way, and then there'd be no where to watch tv!
I would not like eight maids a-milking. Messy. 'Nough said.
I would not like seven swans a-swimming. Our bathtub just isn't that big.
I would not like six geese a-laying. Our bed just isn't that big.
I would not like five golden rings. I prefer silver.
I would not like four calling birds. We don't have a house phone, much less four.
I would not like three French hens. You know what they say about the French...
I would not like two turtledoves. They're just a little too cheesy for me.
And I would not like a partridge...but I do think a pear tree would be nice.

With love
Your wife.

The Imminent Invasion

Last year was my first year to live in an old house. I really like old houses, they have such character and charm, and last year I learned a lot about the quirks that go along with old houses. I also learned a little bit about zoology. Apparently, lady bugs do not like cold weather. I really don't like cold weather either, so I can't blame them. But instead of building their own home, they decided to invade mine. Hoards and legions and swarms of them. Every nook and cranny I would find them huddled up to keep warm. Killing them doesn't work well, because they stink when they die. I finally just started vacuuming them up.

This winter we live in an old house again too. And as the weather turns cooler, here they are again.

Christmas Preparations

So this will be Super-Hubby and I's second Christmas married, and we have decided to attempt Christmas cards. It's always fun to take a nice pretty picture, and mail it out to all our friends and family. But alas! They are so expensive! Thankfully Shutterfly has a great deal going - blog about them, and get 50 free holiday cards (If you're interested, check it out here: http://bit.ly/sfly2010). I've done other promotions for Shutterfly, and they're great! We got a nice picture collage for FREE when we got engaged. So I thought I'd try this out. And to see any of their holiday cards check it out here:

holiday cards

Christmas photo cards  

I really like this one, but now we just have to agree on one. Woohoo, won't that be fun. I can't wait to send them out. 

And now, we just have to get a Christmas tree, decorations...oh and gifts. Yay for shopping season!

Escapades

It's been a while, and I've been super busy!

Halloween was a blast. I finished our costumes on time, and we were decked out for the Belhaven RUF Halloween party.

Ben really wanted my mug and whatever nefarious substance was within

It was a grand ol' pirate party!

Even little Colby got a matching outfit

I was pretty burnt out on sewing after the Halloween rush, but now I'm ready to dive back in. So last night I took this old dress in my closet and turned it into a pencil skirt. Too bad I didn't take a before picture, but here's an after. 

It's a lovely wrap-around skirt with two rows of buttons down the front. I am so proud of this! It's the first thing I've made that I will actually wear out in public. Ok, I didn't actually make it completely since I just cut up a dress, but I managed not to ruin it so that's good. Can you see where I forgot to sew on a button? Realized that as I was wearing the skirt at work today. Oops!

Besides that right now it's that time of year...holidays, food, presents, and MY BIRTHDAY! Twenty-four years old. Wow, I don't feel like I have the knowledge or wisdom a twenty-four-year-old should have...I guess I'll probably always feel younger than I am though. But I can't wait to celebrate with Super-Hubby and friends!

And the dress that I claimed was almost finished a while ago is still almost finished...maybe it will get finished one day...

But for now I'm off to cuddle in my cozy sweater in front of the heater.

I'm A Fan

I have a friend that will be famous one day. She writes, and if she writes about nothing else she can write about the amazing life she has and the amazing people she's met along the way. She started in a tiny little Mississippi town no one's ever even heard of and is still living prior to desegregation, which spawns enough raw material to fill a lifetime of writing. Now in grad school, she's surrounded by the creme de la creme of the artistic world. Who'd have thought that was in Iowa, of all places? When I get her letters it's like falling into a good book or an enthralling movie, getting swept away in the zany things of her everyday life, not to mention the countless men that fall in love with her all the time. She'll say it's not romantic or appealing at all, that they're old and weird and unattractive, but that doesn't discount the fact that they keep popping up wherever she goes. If she ever wanted to be a gold-digger, there were a couple of men that wanted to sweep her away to some corner of Europe and give her everything she could desire, including the time to travel and write to her heart's content. But for now she just takes classes with people from every country of the world, and is learning every language of the world. Before long she'll be a few bestsellers, maybe a pulitzer, and kings and sheiks and emperors as friends...
Ok so maybe I exaggerate a bit. But I have no doubt that she'll succeed. And once she hits it big, boy am I going to cash in.

Halloween Hubbub

So I am making Halloween costumes for Ben and I for this year. So far it has been a horrible project.
I ordered the pirate patterns online, and once they finally came in, they were the kids version. Then I went to Walmart to buy the right pattern. Got home, it didn't have all the pieces in it. Went back to Walmart, got the right pattern with all the pieces, finally got home and started cutting and sewing. I got enough done of Ben's pants to try them on him, but when I tried to finish them my machine just wigged out. I couldn't believe! Of course, just another thing to go wrong with this stupid project. I went through the manual, cleaned it, changed threads -- no go, it wouldn't work. I threw a tantrum, and was just about ready to throw that machine out the window. Thankfully Ben took the time to talk me down and make me go on a walk with our puppy, Colby. Afterwards, I sat back down at my machine and started at it again. And then I realized I had changed the needle and put it in backwards. Not upside down mind you, I'm not that retarded. But backwards. And then it worked.
Yes, I am still a child.
Yep, and that's about it.
On to the pirate pants now.

Advances on the Home Front

Basically all I think about lately is sewing. It is my new obsession. Pretty much if I'm not working on a project, I'm looking at patterns online, searching sewing blogs, and looking for free and easy do-it-youselfers. And on the sewing front there's been a lot of exciting things recently.
First off, my wonderful hubby bought me an early birthday present.

That's an antique sewing box, with pin cushions on top and a long drawer on bottom. Absolutely love it :-D

And secondly, I got new patterns!

McCall's was having a $2 online sale, so I couldn't resist. I hate buying online cause you still have to pay shipping. But patterns can be so expensive! And one reason of making my own clothes was to save money, so I couldn't pass this up. Turns out though, the Hobby Lobby in town had the same patterns on sale for $0.99. I could've saved a bundle more, but it was a good deal nonetheless. And I can't wait to make these. The next will be Ben and I's Halloween costumes. We'll be pirates this year. Argh.

And lastly, the most exciting thing of all: I think I have actually made a dress that a) doesn't look like crap and b) I will actually wear. It just needs hemming, but then hopefully, I'll have pictures. Zoe has been helping me out, and we're almost finished.

I Have No Interest In Being a Creature-Bitten Superhero

As is our usual ritual, Ben and I were watching a show the other night in the den, when out of the corner of my eye I see something flutter and fall through the air. Immediately our cat, Zoe, charges for whatever it is. And then I hear the squeaking…

I scream out “It’s a bat!” and in a flash we’re both as far away from the cat and the bat as we can be, while still keeping an eye on it.

Now I was so good at spotting what this was because this is not the first time we’ve had a bat in our house. No no. One morning I walked into our dining room and almost picked up the half-dead creature before I realized what it was. And then I had to go to work so Ben and a friend got to deal with it.

But this time, it was just the two of us. Oh and the cat. Thank goodness for cats! If you are not a cat person, it’s experiences like these where you come to love them. We watched Zoe mess with it for a while until it came out into our view. Yep, definitely a bat. Thankfully it wouldn’t or couldn’t fly, so it just tried to crawl away while the cat batted it around. So we left Zoe to keep it occupied while we grabbed towels and brooms to get it out of the house. When we were ready we actually had to get the cat out of the way in order to throw a towel over the squeaky little flying rodent and then Ben swept it out the front door into the yard.

Then we were on the hunt for where these things are getting in. Turns out we had a window that was broken. So, note: old houses aren’t really that bad, just make sure your windows and doors are closed completely. We certainly have been getting closer to nature better since living in this house. Between bats, ants, spiders, ladybugs, and a snake (only in the yard, not the house thankfully) it’s a veritable wilderness. It's a good thing we have a cat that's braver than the rest of us.

Seasons of Mississippi

So yesterday was the first day of fall. Here, of course, you can't tell a difference. We've had a few cool mornings, signaling the beginning of the transition out of summer. Really we only have two seasons -- hot and cold; spring and fall are almost non-existent. But the short windows before hot or cold are the best times of the year as far as I’m concerned. It’s cool enough that I don’t start sweating the minute I step outside, but warm enough that my face doesn’t go numb walking from my house to the car.

Right now we're just about to turn the corner into the cold. The heat is hanging on with a tight-fisted grip, but a cool breath is in the air. Of course, it will only last a couple of weeks, if that long, and then it’s the long dreary isolation of Southern winter – cold, wet, cold, wet, and only snow every decade or so (and we got that last year, so I have no hopes for this year). My least favorite part of the year is definitely the cold season.

But at least the weather isn’t the end-all, be-all. Because, besides the weather, the cold season is definitely my favorite part of the year. I get at least one holiday every month, sometimes two! Halloween costumes are in stores already, and I’m itching to carve pumpkins. The Mississippi State Fair comes at the beginning of October, and I can already smell those funnel cakes and sweet honey biscuits, mingled with the smoke of the carnies, and hear the screams and teen pop music blasting from the rides that sound a bit too rickety for comfort but manage to operate fine year after year.

Then there’s Thanksgiving, with food and family, and Black Friday. That is a ritual for my family, notable for Cracker Jacks, McDonald’s breakfast, pushing, shoving, and racing, and that feeling to triumph when we go home with a trunk full of Christmas presents that we all get to pretend we didn’t know about when we open them up on Christmas morning.

Oh and Christmas! My Christmas has changed, and continues to, now that my family has grown. Ben and I are still figuring out how to share the holidays with all of our families, so each year is a little different. Usually Christmas Eve is IHOP after the candle-light church service, followed by a minimal amount of expectant sleep, and a super early morning to see what Santa brought us. And yes, at 23 (almost 24), we still get Santa presents. Then it’s breakfast at my grandmother’s of blueberry muffins, monkey bread, and cinnamon rolls, and more presents with the rest of the family. Then the whole lunch spread with all your traditional dishes. I don’t really know what this year will look like, since it’ll be split up between families. But I know I’m looking forward to it.

New Years is always fun. You can’t go wrong with fireworks and champagne.

But then…oh…then it’s just the cold with nothing to look forward to but the hot season. But each year I manage to buckle down and bear it. It helps when I have a nice long coat.

Sounds like an interesting day...

Click-clack-click hurry down the steps, with a jingle jangle of keys. Slam of the car door.
Roar of the engine, and vroom vroom vroom out the driveway, down the street, through the neighborhood.
Work is within sight.
And then - chug chug chug...chug...chug......chug......chug......nothing.

But Super Man (aka Ben) came to my rescue.

Anyone want to join the ran-out-of-gas club?

"A Good Man is Hard to Find"

Ben and I like the idea of camping. We even bought a tent last Christmas for ourselves, but we just never seem to find the time to go. But we just picked a weekend and decided we were going to go, dangnabit. At the last minute we decided to take our pupy, Colby. The one other time we've been camping since we got married we took Jackson, and that was not a good idea. He spent the whole time trading corners to shiver in and barking at every little sound that he couldn't see where it came from. Needless to say, we hardly slept at all. And sadly, our friends that went with us couldn't sleep either.
But Colby was much better. She's a great car rider. We went to a place called Rocky Springs down the Natchez Trace. Driving down those deserted, steep-banked roads, with Colby bouncing around the car, I commented to Ben that I hoped we didn’t turn into Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” I think we even ran across the Misfit when we stopped to let Colby pee. He was quite the scraggly wayward-looking man, but he seemed more interested in lounging in the grass and eating his non-descript food item than us, thankfully.

Once we made it to the campsite, we drove around to pick our site and realized we had the entire campground to ourselves. It was absolutely empty. So we picked what we thought was the best, and set up camp. Thankfully Colby is not a barker. She just played around on her tether while we set up. Ben set up the tent and got dinner going while I got fire wood and built a pitiful little fire. And then I kept forgetting to watch it, and so it kept burning down to coals. I’ve been camping tons of times growing up, but never had to really do anything. But I’m learning. We had enough of a fire to roast marshmallows, and once you’ve got smores nothing else mattered.

And then we realized we had brought nothing to do. No games to play, books to read, people to chat to, nothing. So we went to sleep.

Half way through the night I woke up, and—as always happens when the bathroom is 50 yards away through complete wild blackness—I had to go to the bathroom. So I stumble around to put shoes on, find a flashlight, and open the tent…and hear some kind of growl. Ben was awake at this point, and heard it too, so I didn’t imagine it. I closed the door quickly, and we waited. Finally I couldn’t stand it any longer. Be it a raccoon, bear, wildebeest, or Big Foot himself, I had to go to the bathroom. I didn’t meet any critters, but walking with the single bulb flashlight bouncing around through the grey woods, with deep night all around was eerily reminiscent of Blair Witch Project…and so I scooted on back to the tent as fast I as I could.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We slept about as well as could be expected for camping, made breakfast (even a cup of Early Grey tea my hubby whipped up for me), packed up, and were off to explore the Trace a little.

All in all it was a nice trip. The Trace, as always, was gorgeous, and it was nice to get away from everything, even if to give up a few luxuries. And we managed to avoid any Dueling Banjos.

Finally, we made it home…and snuggled up in our plush queen sized bed that we can appreciate oh so much more now.

I Might be a Seamstress

So this is Ol' Bessy - my ancient monster of a sewing machine, a Singer 7105, that was passed down to me from my mother when I decided to learn to sew last year.

She's a finicky machine, that sometimes will work fine, but usually has to be goaded along, and every now and then will just break the thread and quit. I think she got so cranky from being locked away in a closet for decades without use. She's wound up quite tight, and it's a tug of war with the tension dial to pull the thread out. But we've come to an understanding. Of course I can't do anything with delicate fabrics, as she would shred them, but she does okay otherwise. And together we've made a few things.

The tally so far:
Victories - 3
Casualties - 5

My sister was kind enough to let me make the baptism outfit for her first son, Layne. I realize it was quite a daunting task for my very first project, but with the help of my amazingly skilled mother-in-law, that outfit turned out ok, and my sister was kind enough to even use it, though the bottom snaps kept coming undone. (Oh, and Layne spit up all over it right before they took him to the front of the sanctuary for the actual baptism. Oh, babies...) But I still claim that one as a success.

My other successes were an apron and two pillows for the den. Just a simple apron from a pattern, and rectangular, knife-edge pillows. I really can't appreciate simplicity more than I did when I finished those projects and they actually looked good.

And those other projects have all been clothes. Clothes are my bane. That is the one thing I really want to be good at, and the hardest. Fitting curves and lengths and widths...a 3D world is a difficult place to work in. But with Ol' Bessy, I've got some good muscle -- that is, when she's cooperating.

All In the Name

The hardest part in setting up this blog was picking a title. I don't know why that's so hard for me, but I enlisted my witty husband's help. After about 30 minutes of Ben's suggestions, which impressed himself but failed to appease me, he said, "I was never meant to be a theologian, I'm too creative."

Well that couldn't describe me more (sans the creative part). Ben gets to wear that hat in our family, with no contention from me.

No, my life consists of more adventure…battling with my 1970-something sewing machine, escaping from a ceiling avalanche in my kitchen, and racing after my mischievous canines that love to run away from me when I call them to come inside.

Well, when you put it that way, my life does sound pretty exciting, huh?