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!