laeroport

Maker's marathon

It was a weekend of making and giving.  You would have thought it was the end of December instead of the beginning of November at my house this weekend.  So this week, a recap of what  I made.

For Friday night's birthday party, Eliot requested I make a robot for his friend Lyric.  Done and done.

I really cannot say enough good things about Hillary Lang's patterns.  They practically make themselves at this point.  I think this is the 5th Robot I've made, and I've churned out nearly a dozen kitties, bunnies and bears.   If you're looking for a soft toy for starters, check them out.  And if you're an experienced seamstress, they are still fun.  There are countless ways to personalize them.  You'd better believe I'll have her forthcoming book on pre-order.

Okay!  Tomorrow, baby shower!
 

42 and feelin' fine

Wow!  What a great birthday!  Thank you all for the messages here and on facebook and texted to my phone.  I have some great friends.

And my family!  Let's not forget them!  My husband bought me a tiny laptop!  Woot! My children created and performed a puppet show for me!  I wish I had videoed it.  They treated me sweetly all day.  My mom made my favorite cake, the one she has made for me every birthday (except those years I spent in India) since I was 18.  She quietly delivered it from Topeka to my kitchen table.  (That cake is the BEST breakfast ever.)

And more cake! My dear friend and co-worker, Suzanne baked me a chocolate/raspberry cake to follow lunch at the office.  She also brought cini-minis from Munchers for breakfast.  Oy.  It is a good thing she is the person I walk 9 miles a week with, because I'll need to walk off all those calories. :)

And then there is the handmade gift that made my toes curl.  My very talented friend, Keela Patterson Lam created some wonderful jewelry for me, using Molly's buttons as a centerpiece.   I told her it is exactly what I would want without even knowing I wanted it.  She knows me well.  And I am blown away.

 
  
Also blowing me away - the new Norah Jones CD.  It isn't out until the 17th, but thanks to my friend Dan (of the Vertigo tea towel) I have been listening to it via NPR.  As if I needed another reason to love NPR. *

And this weather.  It is 2:00 and 74 degrees.  Yesterday was equally glorious, so thanks, Mother Nature.

Life doesn't slow down, birthday or no.  Eliot has a birthday party to attend tonight, Aidin and I have a baby shower tomorrow, she has a slumber party on Saturday night and Sunday I'm celebrating with my family - my birthday and my niece Clare's.  And next weekend we have a dear friend gettin' hitched.

Yep, busy.  But I wouldn't have it any other way!  Have a great weekend!  I'm off to the pool with the Brownies......

________________

* Best NPR moment this week: after doing a story on Sarah Palin's Going Rogue and the sarcastic Going Rouge that will come out the same day, NPR's musical segue: Barracuda.  I love it.

Birthday Embroidery (and mine as well)

Yep, it's my birthday. Me and Kevin Jonas.  And although I am loving this stage of life and am completely comfortable with my 42 years (grey hair and all), it disturbs me a bit to know that I could be Kevin Jonas' mother.  Ah well.

I know a LOT of people with early November birthdays, so I've been working on presents this week.  Monday was my office mate's birthday.  Dan once made a good natured disparaging remark about embroidery.  Since then, I have given him an embroidered tea towel every year.  It has turned from being a joke to something he actually looks forward to receiving.  And that makes me very happy.

So this year, WHAT to embroider for a 32 year old bachelor with a dog?  I turned to one of his favorite movies for inspiration. Vertigo.  Hitchcock.

 

He knew right away what it was.  Success in my book. :)

And yesterday was the birthday of my little friend Willoughby.  She is six weeks older than Eliot and her mom is one of my dearest friends.  Since she was an infant, she has been all.about.horses.

I have had this appliqued horsey shirt in my head to make for her ever since I made this one for a kids swap nearly two years ago.  The pattern came from doe-c-doe in the Hoop Love pool on flickr. (Oh, lordy.  Prepare to waste a LOT of time over there.)  Presented in a horsey lunch box, it was perfect.

So far, my birthday is shaping up much the same.  

Cheers!

Halloween Hangover

(This photo is by Matt Needham.  Thanks, Matt!)

It was good.  The whole weekend was good, from Aidin's class party to pumpkin carving (after we FOUND pumpkins to carve) to trick-or-treating with Matt & Michelle, Arlo & Maisy  and to a beautiful Sunday with no agenda or football games.

More photos on flickr.  

Yar! 

All my ideas come from the blogosphere

Here are a few things I've made this week to help us celebrate this favorite of holidays.  All from the brilliant minds of the blogosphere.

Halloween Correspondence:

 
In playing along with Kelli & Finny's CRAFT:along for this month, I'm sending Halloween notes to the Great-grandparents.  Okay, they are computer-made, not entirely homemade, but let's not be sticklers. :)

For teachers:

That Cindy  has so many fantastic ideas.  I stole this idea directly from her.  I was hoping I could get two bats per sheet of construction paper, but they are just *that* much too big.  I only had four sheets of black, so Aidin's teachers will get orange bats.  That's called going with the flow.

And for Aidin's class party, which is a FALL party, not a HALLOWEEN party, despite the fact that they get to wear their costumes and parade around the school (don't get me started on the mixed messages that is sending):

Owl cupcakes.  Aren't they soooooo cute?  They would be cuter if I could take a decent photo in my kitchen at 10:30 at night.

So for us, today: class party.  Tomorrow: trick or treating.  Sunday: Diwali party.  And no football games.  I'm putting my party shoes on now and not taking them off until Monday!

Happy Halloween!

20 days

That's how long it has been since my last blog post.  Rather pathetic.  And yet, that is how I am feeling at the moment.  Nothing I'm doing is particularly blog-worthy, but I guess I'll go ahead and fill you in:

• I went to the pumpkin patch with Eliot's class

 

• I went on a field trip with Aidin's class
• I took a friend to and from her colonoscopy
• I belly danced at a school fund raiser
• I spent five of the last six weekend days as a single parent, thanks to Tim working football games - that's not a complaint, it is just a fact.  I'll taking the padding to the holiday fund. :) 
• I attended a funeral visitation and sent a sympathy card for another I couldn't attend
• I made a birthday bag and pencil roll

 

• I had a night out with my girlfriends
• I worked in the school garden
• I organized Halloween costumes for my family, went to a potluck Halloween party/bonfire and took the kids to Trunk or Treat

 

• I enjoyed a fusion concert of jazz and middle eastern music with my belly dance friends
• I planned and organized Aidin's class Halloween party for tomorrow. I'm baking cupcakes tonight.
• I held a Brownie Girl Scout meeting and took the troop roller skating

 

• I experimented with the same granola bar recipe three times. It still needs a little work, but it's coming along
• I started Christmas shopping and making lists
• We FINALLY finished watching all of Battlestar Gallactica
• We are halfway through watching Roots

I've also been blog reading, which has made me wanty.  Wanty for more time in my day, more organization in my life.  What I really would like to do is quit my day job and just volunteer at school and stay home and be domestic.  Too bad that doesn't pay the bills.  Despite the fact that we lead a rather frugal existence, we still like having my paycheck to pay down the mortgage and car loan and keep us otherwise debt free.  Maybe once the little man is in public school...

And at the moment I have a couple of pentagon baby ballsin production, a boy's toothfairy pillow to complete, some birthday and baby shower gifts.  So if I drop off the blogosphere again, you'll know where I am.  Just busy....

Mwwwah! - L

I'm here.... really

Wow!  It has been a week!

For starters, last Friday night was our school carnival.  I usually run an activity, but this year Tim was working and my parents were at the Balloon Fiesta, so I got to wander around with the kids.

I took Friday off to make my cakes:

 

Two cakes out of one strawberry cake mix and can of frosting.  Rather economical.  The fish cake was baked in a jello-o mold that we inherited from Tim's Grandma 10 years ago.  She'd never used it and neither had we.  The square cake was  covered with starbursts that I cut into star shapes - an idea I stole from Kirsten.

Despite the three of us doing the cake walk at nearly a dozen times, none of us won a cake.

 

Hey, ho.  I tried to calm my sweet tooth on Saturday by taking this to a potluck. Darn thing wouldn't come out of the pan.  It tasted good, even if it didn't look all Martha wonderful.

Since Saturday I've been trying to get creative with self-portraits - it is time once again for our 7 Days run.  I love that group.  What a friendly bunch.

And now it is Friday again.  I'm leaving shortly for Aidin's school walk-a-thon fundraiser.  I'm looking forward to dinner out tonight with my college roommate and a relatively relaxed weekend for the kids and me.  I hope you have fun things in store as well.

Cheers!

Quick trip

To celebrate our nephew's third birthday, we made a quick trip to Wichita on Sunday.  And since we had the whole day free, we made the most of it with a visit to the zoo as well.

 

Three is such a fun age.  I probably should have made Trey something featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, but I went with a robot instead.  All the boys now have them. 

I was pretty delighted with the completed project, especially with the control panel which spelled out the birthday boy's name.

Now on to the next deadline.... an easy but impressive cake for the carnival cake walk on Friday.  Last year's won third prize due to lack of eligible entries.  This year I don't know if I should try to win or just do whatever.  Any ideas?

What are you working on?  

Renaissance Festival 2009

The costumes came together, the change in venue was actually great, and a wonderful (but exhausting) time was had by all.  I'm only just now getting back in the swing of things.

Thanks to the MANY friends to came out to see us.  It was so great to hang out and wander around with our friends as well as to have that great energy in the audience.

Here's a few images.  I never get many pictures, I'm always too busy dancing.

Behind the scenes Saturday, waiting for the parade.  (It was at this point that I was texting Miss Chris about that fabulous coat!)

I wish I had a better picture of Eliot's Saturday costume.  His pants and vest were new this year (his shirt was his Luke Skywalker tunic from last Halloween) - and his vest was reversible.  He is wearing the "inside" in this picture, but the other side was made from two printed napkins that I got on clearance at Walmart about a year ago for fifty cents for both. 

Aidin is wearing her vest and belt from two years ago, but has new pants (she only grows up, not out) and a panel skirt to match all the grown ups who were also wearing panel skirts on Saturday.

Aidin and Taylor - and a better view of Aidin's costume.

 

Ragsidad on Saturday doing the sword dance.  That's as good as I have of our Saturday costumes at present - photo from Christina Farmer.  (Amy, Barb, Me, Stephanie, Jana & Melody)

Of course, there was time to wander too:

   

 Sunday we wore assuit, which are traditional Egyptian mesh dresses with small pieces of hammered silver added to make a decorative pattern.  I don't have any pictures of us all standing around or dancing in the assuit (yet), but it looked good with all the different colors of pants and hip scarves.

Me and my friend, Stephanie (Taylor's mom). 

 

I wanted the kids to sort of match us on Sunday, so Sunday morning I turned two garage sale scarves (picked up for a quarter each) into a dress and a long tunic-vest.  Aidin's hip scarf is from her first Ren Fest costume, when she was about 18 months old.  I'm serious when I say she just grows up, not out.

 

Aidin also got up and danced at our last show each day.  We did our number from the July show with Taylor and Stephanie on Saturday and Sunday we did a little number with the canes.

Eliot took all the watching in stride.

(The previous two photos are thanks to Lakshmi Duvvur.)

 

And that's about it for another year.  Thanks for hanging in there with all the belly dance stuff.  Back to regular crafting next week.

Huzzah!

Winner Winner

Okay, the winner of the tickets is (drumroll, please) our friend, Kim Fraenza!  You may remember Kim from our past Mead Day celebrations.  Woo hoo!  We love their family and don't see them often enough.

And for a bit more frivolity, tomorrow is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Argh!

My pirate name is:

Black Mary Bonney

Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
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Have a rip-roarin' weekend, ye scurvy dogs!