It's Feexed, It's Feexed!

I haven't blogged in a while. And I'm sorry. If you want to read what has been going on lately, you may want to check out Jeffrey's Blog at Tucsonic Boom. He's had more time lately for blogging since his winter break from law school.

OK. So what have I been up to? Mostly going to work at the book publisher, working on freelance print design projects at home, and dreaming of excellent crafty projects.

So what is feexed? My sewing machine.

I bought it with one of my first newspaper job paychecks at the Wal-Mart in Elizabeth City. It was the only place to shop there practically. No Jo-Ann with it's huge Bernina display. Just Wal-Mart.

But that was back in 2002. It's been almost seven years and I just had it serviced for the first time it its life. Apparently you're supposed to do it every year. I did it when it finally started making a banging noise.

The bobbin winder broke about a week after I bought the machine. I had kind of jerry rigged it into place with some tape. And if I held my thumb just so, it would work.

It came back spotlessly clean, quiet as anything even when running at it's highest speed AND THE FUCKING BOBBIN WINDER WORKS!!! No more tape. No more thumb.

So now I can start working on all these projects I've been dreaming of for the last several months that it has been broken -- like a sick person unwilling to go to the doctor, I've been putting off having the machine fixed.

But Cathey's Sew and Vacuum got the job done. And now I'm thinking this weekend I'm going to spray paint its dust cover hot pink in celebration for the next seven years!

I've also added another blog for those of you interested in clothes, house stuff, and everything else cute.

What a Caper!

This weekend I was in my first horse show in I think 15 years. I rode a horse named Caper (What a Caper is his show name) and he's an 18 year old American Saddlebred.

Caper is an old man, but he loves to show. As he's rocketing through the in gate, you can feel his energy surge, he gets his head set, and you're in for a fun ride.

I won both of my classes: A showmanship class and an equitation class. 

It was a great weekend!

Crap! I just used tape in a vacuum!

I will tell you all about my jaunt to N.C. soon ... but it requires the uploading of video and pictures and that takes time.

Instead you get snarky scientists!

I should have been a scientist, at least one that is interviewed by the Associated Press. Those science guys are snarky!

A recent article about tape being used to make X-rays was very interesting considering all the wonderful things it could me for, er, science.

My favorite part though, was when the reporter asks if there are any health hazards related to using tape and the newly (sort of ... Russia, do you always have to weasel your way into science?) discovered rays.

The scientist explained that the X-rays are only developed when done in a vacuum. Said scientist then is quoted as saying, ""If you're going to peel tape in a vacuum, you should be extra careful."

Should have been a scientist. They would have thought I was hilarious.

Farmer's Market

Today I dragged Jeffrey (and my friend Julie and her husband Jack) to one of Tucson's ephemeral farmers' markets.

They pop up on weekends and have confounding formulas about where they will be and when. Like, for example, the merchants will be there every third Sunday of the month if there is a full moon and it rains a 1/10 of an inch within two days of the scheduled appearance and the month has to have a E in it. Or some other confusing thing that makes it impossible for me to remember to go.

But the one at St. Philip's Plaza is every Sunday from 8-noon. I can remember that. Mostly because the swanky shoe place is there and they open at noon. 

So we popped over and meandered around, bought locally roasted coffee and bell peppers and sampled localish goat cheeses. 

Several things about this particular market stuck out for me: An inordinately large population of standard poodles and Italian greyhounds shopping around with their people, apparently people who like McCain were not invited (the parking lot, as Jeffrey pointed out, looked like that of an Obama rally) and rich people are not always really bright. I had the following conversation with a woman with a very expensive handbag at the goat cheese booth:

Me: "Man, I wish they'd brought the goats. I would have liked to have met them!" 

Rich Lady:  "But would you still be able to eat the cheese?" 

Me: "Why not? Um, I like goats!" 

Rich Lady: "Oh yeah. They don't have to kill them for cheese."

Me: "Nope. But that would suck if they did." Awkward silence. Then just crazy giggling from me and lady who then realized she should have paid attention in preschool. Sigh.

Then I had ANOTHER awkward conversation at said booth with ANOTHER fairly well-kept looking woman about goat's milk:

Me: "Yes, I have heard that people who are lactose intolerant to cow's milk can have goat products."

Woman: "It's more than just that. Insert Earth mother bullshit propaganda about cow's milk and digestions, etc."

Me: "Whatever. I can have cow's milk with no problem so I don't really care. I really like ice cream."

Woman: Dust cloud where woman was once standing leftover from her marching away in a huff... and I'm not really even sure why she was mad at me. I mean, I was BUYING goat cheese. 

Here's a picture of Julie and Jack enjoying goat cheese samples (from very happy alive goats) far away from crazy people. OK, chica in the blue tank top hangover combo might have been not normal ... but I guess Julie didn't get drawn into a convo with her ...

On Saturday Jeffrey and I did a little gardening and added spinach, sugar snap peas, cabbage, onions, cauliflower, lettuces, and some pansies to the garden row. We also ripped out the remaining tomato plant. Now that the weather is cooling down a bit we can plant more than squash. Hopefully it grows! 

Sunday at Sabino

The monsoon season in Tucson is over and the wind is beginning to bring cooler air in ... and making my skin really, really dry (thank goodness for Aveeno).

We actually opened the windows up in the house for most of Sunday. The wind outside, not always great for contact lens wearers, created a really pleasant cross breeze in the rooms and we didn't need the air conditioner until the early evening when it gets a little toasty right before the sun begins to set. 

 

It was so nice, Jeffrey put off studying for a few hours to go enjoy the weather with me up the street in Sabino Canyon. There were a lot of people with similar ideas and the pathways were packed with Tusconans with weird hiking hats, poles, gallons of water strapped to their backs, and all kinds of gear. Jeffrey and I felt maybe some were a bit over-geared.

Absolutely a gorgeous start to the day. There was still water in the canyon but the air was crisp and dry. The kind of day that makes you happy to be living in such a beautiful place.

Eric's New Online Shop

My brother Eric has put some of his photos on wares at CafePress.

Check out our new mini mogul's stuff!

I Like Carrots Modifications

Instead of doing work or practicing knitting, I thought I would take some time to play with my blog's look.

Dots! 

Also, I've added a blog roll (if you don't see your blog here, it might be because I don't know the URL anymore ... gabel group, Lena's baby blog ... I will add it if you will give it to me again.

AND introducing (trumpet noises!) a poll. Because everyone likes a poll, right? I don't know what good it will do, but it will be fun to test out.

Also, for those of you who don't know what a twitter update is, those are from my Twitter site where I often post up little bits of fun during the day because it's easy. If you want to see the other end of the conversation, go to Twitter and sign up for a free account and start following people. It's fun and you can lurk. (and it might curb the panicked emails from my mom who only saw me telling Snaps -- my brother Eric -- that I was sorry and she assumes the worst ... he was just sick ma!)

Craftiness Part Deux

Today was my first beginner knitting class.

My mom and I tried to learn to knit several years ago. She has since made a sweater. I think I used my needles to stake a plant.

I sucked at it. 

My fingers aren't generally that nimble. I have trouble with some fine motor skills and when it came to knitting, I would brain the concept down to the fingers, but it was like a game of telephone: The message somehow became altered and knitting was not possible.

But I thought I would give it another shot. I looked online and tried to read the diagrams, but it was about as helpful as an IKEA instruction sheet.

I went online, did a Google for "knitting classes in Tucson" and came across Purls Tucson and they had tons of classes.

So I signed up.

The class was great. 

Instead of it being a bunch of white hairs, the instructor was cool and didn't yet qualify for anything with an AARP acronym. Her assistant was a twenty-something manchild who looked like he should be doing something much more masculine than knitting but who is apparently an awesome knitter (and I heard him talking to some of my classmates, and he was a great teacher. His mommy should be proud.)

And ... I knitted!!!

Also, I finished my lunch bag right before I (possibly) broke my sewing machine!



I bought a rotary cutter and mat ... these are excellent inventions. If you ever make anything with fabric that requires cutting, buy one. And the cutters now come in pretty colors. So you get innovation AND cuteness. Awesome.

CRAFTINESS!

I've been in a fabric rut. Hancock and their ilk have been relentlessly stocking quilting fabric and that's about it. Nothing new or interesting. And I'm not upholstering a couch. I just wanna make stuff cute!

Jcarolinecreative has wicked cute fabric (so does reprodepot) so I ordered this and this.

My plan is to make a new lunch bag since my old one had a smelly seepage issue that caused it to be flung in a dumptser. When I complete it, I'll post it here.

But I still will have tons of extra fabric. But wait!

I have a sad boring phone with an extra detachable face plate that's all scratched up (ha ha! presanded!) just begging for some adornment.

I think I'm going to attach some fabric to it via some spray adhesive and some cursing. Should be pretty awesome.

While looking for what type of glue to use, I came across this site. It made me pretty happy. Like a translator only for glue! And it's called This to That which is great.

But I'm not taking their advice.

We're Not Sure What Charlie Sheen Said

On a recent "Two and a Half Men" rerun, Allen was talking to Charlie about taking little Jake out camping -- do some hunting, fishing, bonding with the boy. Charlie responded snarkily ... actually we don't know what Charlie said because Terry, Jeffrey's dad, can't quite tell us about it. It's been two days. He still can't get it out.

Vanity Plates

My dad has been hard at work coming up with vanity plate ideas for the Lil Mi'

MYMIATA
MEMIATA
MIMIATA
KATSMX5
MX54KAT
MX5 KAT
MX5 4ME
MX5 4US
MXFIVE
08MIATA
GR8MX5
MXDASH5
MMMIATA
MMM MX5
TRUERED
TRU RED
SPARKLY
08AZ NC
08NC AZ
08SOFTY
08MT6NC
08NCMT6
08MX5NC
MIATA42
YWAIT
WAYFUN
NCGIRL

I should have mentioned ...

We bought a brand new red Mazda MX-5 Touring Miata on Friday.

I've been aching for a Mini Cooper since I test drove one in 2002. So after Jeffrey's last car payment on his Honda, we went to Scottsdale and test drove the 2007. But my ache sort just became a pang. It just didn't feel the same.

So then I started thinking about what else was out there that was fun and  financially feasible ... sort of. The MIATA! I'd kind of forgotten about it. I still remember going to the dealership with my parents when I was 11 or 12 to see the new special little roadster when it first came out. I think I even had a poster of it on my wall as a kid -- granted a weird car liking kid -- but whatever.

I went online, started poking at trims, colors, packages, etc. I went on my insurance company's web site and did car pricing quotes, insurance quotes, etc. 

Then I called the dealer here in Tucson. I went out for a test drive last Friday evening while Jeffrey was in Yuma.

By Saturday I was shopping for cute accessories for it online.

After a week of negotiations, make Jeffrey go sit in one in Yuma to make sure he fit in it (he does! With a little room to spare!), trying to find people online who really hated their Miata (no one but a 17-year-old whose parents had bought him one and he thought it was a chick car) I WANTED IT.

My parents went to their local N.C. dealership to check one out. My friend Suzette started looking for scarves for her hair and Lena in Asheville was already finding babysitters for her soon to be born child so that she could go riding in it if I was willing to drive it across the country to see her (I'm not ... I'll fly and we'll just go test drive one crazy girl!)

I told everyone about it! Jeffrey apparently told no one judging by everyone's reaction to my previous blog where some thought maybe I just posted pictures of a cute car.  I neglected to mention that I had bought it because I just took it for granted that most of you knew. (I wanted to get the pic up for those that were following the saga. I hadn't thought it through that I had to mention we'd bought it. Sorry! Bad reporter! Bad reporter!)

There was a little anxiety over losing the little red one my salesman, Rene, had found in Phoenix. Some people were scheduled to come look at it and the dealer wouldn't send it on until he was sure he didn't have a deal himself. Two days of pain! Then on Friday I drove my little silver Honda for the last time and my eyes welled with tears. I really loved that car, too. But it was time to take that good pal and put it to work getting my next good pa.

So the purchase had all the excitement, highs and lows, and resulting joy of a poorly written TV show you watch because there's nothing else on.

Yesterday we spent the day zipping around town in it. I woke Jeffrey up around 6 am (I'd been up cooing over it since 5) to go drive the curves of Mt. Lemmon. Then we ran errands around town and when it started to rain, we put the top up.

Jeffrey, amazingly, fits in the car. He doesn't have a lot of leg room and his head is about an inch from the top when it's up. But at 6'4", that isn't really that different from most cars I'd wager.

The car is really fun. It's a sporty car. I didn't buy it because it goes really fast. I bought it because it handles amazingly and because it feels like a go-kart when I drive it.

It's small. It's cute. It's fun. It's quick. It's mine ... and Jeffrey's. 

But Jeffrey can't drive it. 

' Cause it's a stick.

So now, read the below post again and check out video with the full understanding!

Look at Miata! (Jeffrey's headline)

Because a really cute fast little red convertible is, well, awesome.

Want to see a video? This link might just work!

I made eggplants!

They are kind of long and skinny and I don't think they are supposed to be, but of course the label is long gone. I guess that's why nerd gardeners keep journals.

Sandy!

Last night we headed out to TEP park for a Sidewinder's game.

I don't really enjoy baseball. It's slow, boring, and I'm fairly certain baseball players used to be cuter.

However, I do enjoy junk food. So I sort of break even with this kind of outing.

While walking like a zombies looking for fresh meat into the park, a scary kidnapper minivan pulled up next to us and a crusty old guy asked us if we had our tickets yet. Apparently he had some free ones to give away since the lady driving the getaway van had gotten a lot of them at work and had extra.

Jeffrey and I, frightened of communicable diseases and people just trying to be nice to us, of course cringed in fear.

Suzette, never one to shy away from a good deal (she says there is a saying in Mexico, "When someone offers you a free horse, don't look at the bad teeth.") grabbed them immediately.

So we flounced into the park free with our comp tickets and avoided the massive line at the ticket booth.

Score.

Nights tally:
Final: 6-5 (Sidewinders win! - They were playing the Beavers from Portland -- couldn't handle the heat probably)
Innings: 10

Free tickets to game from scary man in van: 3
Nachos eaten: 2 batches
Hot dogs eaten: 2 (1 with pickle relish -yum!)
Ice Cream Drumstick: 1
Sierra Mist: 1
Beer: 3 (all Suzette)
Cotton candy: 1
Rain storm that hit at 7th inning: 1
Fans left in stadium after 7th inning: 2
Mascots that were confused by Jeffrey's hat: 1
Lady Hit in Face with Ball: 1

USPS UPS PSUPS whatever!

So I'm training to be someone else at my job while they go on vacation. This process involves learning how to mail things.

I hate mailing things. Ordering things online and having the shipped? I'm good with that.

Personally taking an item, putting it in a holding container of sorts, choosing postage, and then sending it via some kind of carrier is not a hassle I enjoy.

So of course I've already screwed it up. Apparently I was supposed to be sending something UPS instead of USPS. So now I'm SOL.

Thank goodness the midwest is flooded and nothing is getting anywhere fast anyway ...

It's been a while

Um ... yeah ... so I haven't blogged in a while. Nothing was going on really. Not anything new or not boring.

And it is still pretty much the same except that all of a sudden I need to share things:

1. I hate my ballet class. The teacher, who is also the owner to the studio, doesn't ever explain anything. This is not really a problem for the other students who seem to know what the French words mean and how to execute said step. But I don't. And she's too fat and broken down to demo the moves. So I have to wait until everyone else begins in order to start. So I'm always confused. Always behind. And she can't seem to stop class to have someone else demo the move. But she can idly chat about how much all the new improvements cost in a very martyr-y way for 15 minutes while we stand there.

2. The new Kleenex Anti-Viral tissues may be a crock of shit but they are ridiculously pretty! They are white with little blue sprays of dots all over them. So pretty.

So I realize my return to blogging is a little less than amazing. But you really needed to know about the Kleenex.

Zappos Overlords are Following Me

So yesterday when I made my Twitter update about my shoes being UPS'ed to my apartment office, immediately two employees from Zappos hopped on Twitter and started following me. It makes me a bit paranoid.

For the record Zappos Overlords ... I really like my new shoes and service can't be beat! (but the following me on Twitter makes me feel kinda weird. Like I have to write updates on my shoes. 7:40 a.m. took the dogs out in my new Birkenstocks I ordered from Zappos. So far so good.)

. . .



Last night I took my first pottery class. It's through the Tucson Clay Co-Op and I was so excited to find it. After years of being shut out of classes—in high school because the class would fill up before my registration date, in college because I wasn't willing to take the Drawing I prerequisite because I could already sketch a vase. I wanted to MAKE one dammit!—I sort of forgot I wanted to make little jugs out of clay.

That is until I came across sfgirlbybay's post about pottery Whitney Smith's stuff on etsy.

Obsessed with her red dessert plates, I knew I needed to go learn how to make stuff on my own (and if I failed, I could just buy one).



So I called around on Monday and found a class starting immediately. $87 later, I'm enrolled in a pottery class for 6 weeks and am hefting around a giant bag of clay. But the class was fun. Many of the people in the class were a bit obsessed with traditional methods like those of the Mata Ortiz.



I have zero interest in making traditional looking pottery. I'm too shallow for that. I want to make smooth, cutesy pieces with birds on them. No whimsical story about how the spirit gods guided my hands. I just want to make cute stuff.

Probably going to be ostracized ...

. . .

On the garden front, we popped down on the weekend to check things out. My cherry tomatoes are making little green bulbs, the eggplant was in flower, and the squash was trying to take over. All the things I planted from seed are still trying to grow, but haven't become impressive or made anything to photograph.





It's kind of exciting to see everything as it becomes what you see in the grocery store. Who knew eggplant flowers were pretty!

Happier Note

Jeffrey helped me put in some decorative wire fencing around my garden plot to give it some cuteness.



Some of the stuff is growing like gangbusters - the bush beans, the cherry tomato plant -- and some stuff is still working on poking out of the ground.

Here's what a baby watermelon looks like!

Sad News

One of the four baby doves has died. It was the largest of the group and I believe was the oldest. He wasn't missing any parts, so I can't deduce what did him in.

What's worse, is that not only did it make me sad, but then it totally creeped me out when I bumped it out of the nest (with a cut off piece of bamboo that could be discarded at will -- thing could have died of some weird communicable dove disease!) it got caught (or his feet have, well, a death grip on it) on the portulaca tendril hanging from the basket.

So you can imagine my dismay (as I'm standing there dancing on tiptoes uttering ew, ew, ew, ew, in little squeaks try not to flick the alive baby in the head) as it tipped over the side and instead of plummeting to the rocks below ... just sort of dangled there.

Ah! Nature!

In the current trend of before and afters ...

Today was Jeffrey's last day of classes in his first year of law school.

Here he is on his first day looking a might meek and scared of the world:




And here he is, confident with one year down. Maybe not. But he's looking confident ...



I think the tree in the background has grown, too!

And You Grows Up and You Grows Up

Like mother like baby (and other baby tucked underneath)


Disapproving ENHANCE!


Remember when ...


Jeffrey has suggested we name them after celebrity babies since these doves have nearly as much press.

There are now four babies. But the one mom never leaves for photo ops. Time to take Suris 1 and 2 to the park with Crazy Tom Dad!

Happy Birthaversary!

One year ago, a guy who looked sort of like Mel Brooks as Yogurt in Spaceballs started singing at us and ringing little bells.

Since then, we've ended newspaper careers, moved to a new city, started law school/new jobs, rocked law school/quit jobs, got a new job, had money woes, pet woes and just general feelings like we may end up living in cardboard boxes. We even lived in a tiny hotel room with a recuperating dog, a poodle, one computer and very little space.

We've discussed it ... and we think we'll try for another year!

And happy birthday to Jeffrey!


Jeffrey working on his "Blue Steel."


Birthaversary Flowers for me!

It's A Bird!

I noticed the roosting dove was sitting awkwardly on her nest, so as soon as she took a break from her vigil I popped out there with my camera ... just in case ... and there was a brand new baby dove!

Enhance!



Not nearly as atrocious looking as the baby starling I tried to save once.

On Saturday, I pulled Jeffrey away from his studying to head out to the Mesquite Valley Nursery to buy plants for my garden plot. I planted eggplant, yellow squash, bush beans, cantaloupe (or musk melon as it says on the package ... but that name is not appetizing), a cherry tomato plant complete with cute orange cage, and watermelons. In between the vegetation I planted marigolds because they A) thwart aphids B) grow in the ridiculous heat C) are mighty cheerful! Whoever had my plot before had painted the end posts purple so my garden has a color scheme of cute!



Also, I signed up for Twitter account just like Jeffrey and Keith so you can follow me through my day. You can follow me here on my blog, or you can sign up for a Twitter account of your own to respond to my journeys and to have journeys of your own. I don't know why anyone wants to do this. Except that once Jeffrey and Keith signed up I found myself wanting one of my own. Just another waste of time and energy for the good of the order!

Gala Event

Friday evening we attended the U of A Student Bar Association's annual gala event. We attended, despite having several really good Netlfix options (Kat picks! Bourne Ultimatum, Strictly Ballroom, Monsieur Ibrahim), because Jeffrey is in SBA and—well, he has a sense of duty.

So we got dressed up and went out. I'm a terrible party photo taker and these really suck on both quality and coverage. I never had a lot of experiences taking pictures at parties, somehow I missed out on all of those classic shots of girls at drunken sorority events where a group of friends, faces splotchy from all the festivities, line up like a chorus line in logo sweatshirts and take pictures with plastic cups raised to be displayed later on a bulletin board. I mostly stayed in my room and watched late night TV with the guy downstairs.

SO! Here's the run down of the night and some pics!

6:45 pm - Take pictures outside of apartment of outfits. Jeffrey refuses to work to get the John-Travolta-Cuff-Buttoning move right for the photo and ends up looking kind of cranky.





7 pm - stop at bank for some cash for the cash bar and take pictures of my head because I wanted to see my earrings.



7:20 pm - arrive at gala event, park car, head for entrance behind several other couples. door is locked. try another door. door is locked. walk around to back, past the dumpsters and find the entrance.

7:45 pm - finally find the actual drink line and stand there for a while checking out outfits. dim lighting prevents taking pictures of anything. Mostly the girls are wearing slinky satin dresses or column dresses with spangles and glitter. Lots of cocktail dresses and a few REALLY short black dresses (really shirts? that looked like they maybe had pants to match? but were discarded with crossed fingers that their butt's wouldn't get cold?). And the mens were in suits, or at least pieces of suits. There were a few vest/shirt combos running around. One guy went in another direction all together and wore a full suede getup your grandfather'd be proud to wear to the council meeting in Creektown, USA, complete with cowboy hat. While in the line we visit with a guy named Pete who is either A) functionally autistic B) drunk C) drunk and functionally autistic D) crazy and should be given some space in case he is a fear biter.

8:15 pm - head into the ballroom where round tables designed to seat 10 are set up. Since no arrangements were made in the drink line to sit with anyone because we are socially retarded, we sit in an empty table against the wall. An older couple (she's a urologist, husband had previous business and now is in law school. Biggest concern of night: whether to book gala event location for daughter's bar mitzvah in 2010, decides not to). A couple that acted like they wanted to sit with us but then just stole two of our chairs. Another couple (his name is Ken(t?) and she is a gorgeous Japanese girl whose name is fun to pronounce when introduced but then immediatly slipped my mind) and then full-suede outfit guy and date. Full-suede outfit guy is going to work in Yuma after law school so we discuss what it's like living there. Jeffrey keeps elbowing me to shut up because "I'm going to deaden his soul." I guess you just can't say anything nice about Yuma, even if you try.



9:00 pm - Give up on dessert being served. Head to the admission table where Jeffrey (always dutiful SBA member) and I take up our post to welcome late arrivals. Dessert immediately served in main room. Damn!

9:15 pm - DRAMA! law student girl and guy in suit dramatically start arguing and he shoves her outside. Through the window from our Dork Table we can see them fighting and gesturing like, well, two drunk law students. Slightly concerned for their safety and ability to not physically abuse each other, we keep an eye on them. At one point, when they disappear from view, friend Ted pokes his head out the door to make sure everything is OK. As Ted leans in the doorway, a douchewad guy yells at him for eavesdropping and tells him to go back inside and that the fighting couple aren't a show. I call out guy on douchewaddiness and he apologizes to Ted.



9:30 pm - stint at boring table over, mingle and chat with few law student girls I know. Most of which are fairly trashed all ready. Notice Outside Fighting Couple getting their picture taken with the hired photographer. Smile! and then go back to fighting.

9:35 pm - get photo taken with professional photographer who tries in vain to take a picture of us where I'm not in Jeffrey's armpit. Fails.

9:40 pm - go back inside and sit back down next to urologist and try to score some dessert from the waitstaff. Create idea for new sitcom called "Bad Waitress" and begin discussing plot lines. Make up a song for sitcom. Then we watch people dancing to eighties remixes and sort of being drunkenly stupid. Wait patiently for dancing to wind down so they can call out the raffle winners. We have tickets in for a Westlaw basket of goodies and rock climbing lessons.

10:30pm - Jeffrey wins Westlaw basket of goodies. When other people go up for their raffle prizes, there is a lot of hooting and hollering. When Jeffrey goes up, one person kind of yells "Jeffrey!" but it is a quiet affair.



11 pm - leave for home

Evening Highlights:
We looked awesome
Jeffrey winning raffle

The Good Earth

Since January I've been planning on creating a container garden on my patios.After the threat of frost was gone, I was nearly ready. 

When my mom came out to visit, we went to a few garden centers around town and what we discovered is that even to plant ONE tomato plant, we were going to need a 5-gallon container of sorts. We looked into the new craze of upside down tomatoes, but couldn't quite find the right product and didn't really have the energy to make one from scratch.

So, tomato-plantless, I decided to try to find some kind of community garden I could participate it. 

My Google search led me to Tucson Community Gardens. For $12 a month, you get a plot, water (on a timer!) and advice. Score.

One of the gardens is near my house so I made Jeffrey go with me to experience our first monthly meeting.

My plot was a little soggy for tilling today, so we took the water off of it and am going to let it dry out. On Tuesday I'll go back and till it up, mix in the "amendments" (bullshit. literally.) and by next Saturday it will be ready to plant! Tomatoes! Squash! Melons! Maybe Some Kind of Flower!

Plot Before Plot After

It's the two-faced man ... er ... baby!

What's so awesome about this story is that people think she's a god reincarnate. What's not so awesome is the parent's reluctance to have her looked at by modern medicine in case something's really wrong with her ... I mean besides having TWO FACES!

But let's not dwell.

Enjoy!

How Do You Like Your Eggs?

Just as my research suggested, my dove family has laid two eggs in their makeshift nest on my back patio!I'm not sure why they left them for not more than a minute, but it was enough time for me to sneak out (um, yeah, I'm kind of stalking them. I was watching when she left, watching when she came back and I'm still watching!) and grab this shot.

They seem determined to stay. I've gone out there a few times to do stuff and they haven't flown away. I've watered all the other plants (except for the portulaca they've nested in. That will just have to be sacrificed.) including a geranium not but 10 inches away.

I also installed a drying rack out there that required drilling, standing on precarious porch furniture to do the drilling, and me uttering curse words under my breath as I tried to lash together the canes. And then they didn't leave even when I put scary pink shorts on the line!

My other projects this weekend included making Jeffrey and I fabric lunch sacks so we didn't have to keep buying brown bags.

And later tonight I'll get around to making my new shower curtain out of an Anthropologie table cloth that I bought on super sale over the summer but that doesn't really go with our current house decor. Currently I have it clothes-pinned into place so I can evaluate the plan of action!

Eggs! I'm going to have baby doves!!!

Little Tiny Stitches

Last night I was poking around online, like usual, and came across my next craftiness.

Anything that looks like a monkey can maybe do it, but has awesome supplies is right up my alley!

With all the babies (Lena! Tammy's Cousin!) being born in the coming year, I can stitch all kinds of cute things on onesies, make dog bandanas for all the dogs in NE, NC and AZ! Millions of  throw pillows and ... I don't know ... pen cup cozies!

Here are some of my new favorite & highly coveted items from the site (OMG! Everything comes in pink!):