sunday supper

Do you love this? He puts all the ingredients in separate little bowls as he cooks...food network-style. If this organization got your mouth watering, you should have tasted the stew!

little dress

Here's how my latest crochet project is coming along...
At this point I am finishing the skirt...it is SUPER addicting! I just want to sit and work on it all day long.... but sadly my mid-winter break is over now. Back to school tomorrow!

mmmmmmonograms!

So here's the sitch: no heat in our house right now! Our furnace is on the fritz (love that phrase). Our house was so cold yesterday that I stayed in my craft room all day, shut up with the space heater. It was actually the best day ever. I worked on a bunch of projects...all with mmmmmonograms!

In other news...oh. my. gosh. This is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my whole entire life!!! I fear I must make this or I shall surely die. Mark my words, you will see a copycat post in a couple of months. just sayin'.

snow day

Snow in Seattle! Didn't have to worry about delays or cancellation because we're already off for the week! There was barely anything at our house anyway. But my poor little tulips looked frigid under the inch in the backyard.

more quilting

Another quilt is finished! (this is how I roll--never just ONE of something...) Little bees and fleur de lis. Random? yep.
ps, I've only been using my stash for these quilts - still no new fabric purchased in two months! I did have to buy several packages of batting. I'm scientifically comparing to see which is best. On sale at Joann's last weekend - 50% off - score!

pie!

See what a great stay-at-home-wife I make? Apple pie! Thanks to Emily for the Opal apples...yum!

a new quilt

Would you believe that I started this quilt on Sunday and finished on MONDAY?!?! I know, I'm impressive. And it turns out baby quilts are super fast and easy! I just calculated a quick design, cut out some patches, and stitched 'em together on Sunday. Then yesterday I added the backing, machine-quilted it, and finished the binding lickety-split! Hurrah!

mid-winter break

Every year my staff debates: keep mid-winter break or get rid of it? I am happy to say it has survived through the years - no school this week! Yahooooo! Many of my co-workers are heading to warm and sunny places like Maui. Me? I'll be spending the break finishing my pro cert and working on my curriculum design project. Wild. And. Crazy. And. Depressing. Oh well...I ventured to the back yard (which has been visited about 2.5 times since September) to see if there were any signs of spring to make me feel better. Score!
I love the hens-and-chicks that grow in my rock wall...but can someone tell me if these are dying?Now it's time to start the big "sprinter" clean up. Too bad snow is in the forecast!

it's alli's birthday!

Happy Birthday to Alli, queen of stylin' eyewear and the suspender look!
I love you sissy!

use up the stuff

the title of this post is "use up the stuff." See, I have LOTS of stuff in my craft room. Driving me crazy that it's not serving any purpose! Like these swivel latches, for example:

So I made a little pouch with a clasp. Attach it to the strap of your bag and you won't have to dig to the bottom for the little things you need. Would people buy these?

fabric friday

I've been having fabric withdrawals since I used to order fabric at least once, sometimes twice, each week... I haven't ordered fabric for two months! Sad! So I'm making a wish list for future fabric indulgences..."Sacha" in pink : : Dena Fishbein

"Temple Tiles" in Sherbert : : Patty Young


"Bird on a Perch" in Blue : : Alice Kennedy

Hold on here a minute...am I seeing this right? Ty Pennington has a line of fabric? Why haven't I heard him shouting about it from the rooftops with his beloved bull horn? I LOVE the grey and chartreuse palette--here are my faves:"Foliage" in Chartreuse" : : Ty Pennington

"Tudor" in Grey : : Ty Pennington

"Blossom" in Chartreuse : : Ty Pennington

Happy Friday, everyone!

new project!

ahhhhh, the gentle arts! My next crochet project! What will it be????

last week in review

Sheesh! Last week was so busy that I fell off the Project 365 wagon! :( Rats! Well, I'm cheating a little, and have improvised by including a few pictures that were inspired by that day.

These two have been constantly on my iPod/iPhone:
The Forgotton Garden (Kate Morton) is so so so so good. Exactly the kind of book I like!

What else has been on my mind? Rocks! Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. The topics of the unit I'm designing for my curriculum design class. Therefore I get to spend A LOT of time thinking about rocks. More than I ever though I would in fact. And I love geology.

I had a retail therapy moment when I purchased a shiny new binder for my kids' reading assessments...go crazy!!
So there you have it! Guilty pleasures, great books, rocks, and school supplies. Yep, I'm living the dream!

happy valentine's day!

valentine's day! I love love love valentine's day! Everyone come tell me how much you love me! I set the kids to making their Valentine bags. I love Megan's - super creative with the arrow going through the heart. Right now I'm laying on the couch while Jamie is slaving away over a hot stove. ...but let's be honest....that's not just a valentine's day thing. :) Hope you all had a great day!

on my bookshelf

What I wouldn't give to just read. all. day. long. This one:(the sweetness at the bottom of the pie : : by alan bradley)
is taking me f o r e v e r to get through...not because it isn't good...I just have no time to read. :( But I did finish this one over Christmas break:

juliet : : by anne fortier

and this one recently via audiobook:

true grit : : by charles portis

right now I'm listening to...

the forgotten garden : : by kate morton

really good so far! Audio really is the way to go for me. Listening in the car = more than an hour of "reading" every day. Sad and awesome at the same time!

finished!

I finished my big project! Hurray and yay for me!

best night ever!

all three nieces/nephews under one roof? you bet it was the best night ever!!
so fun having Pearl and Sarah stay with us for a few days!

picture of the day

The picture of the day is a pic of my dining room table before dinner:

So yeah. Teaching math to 2 second grade classes is pretty awesome until it comes to correctin' time. My rough calculation tells me that the approximate number of math pages I corrected today (that the kids did today) was around 300.......!

yikes!

To do tomorrow: let kids take breather.