The Housewife of Notre Dame

It’s Monday morning, about 8:30.  I’m at home, doing the things I’d be doing if I were a kept woman. No, I didn’t quit my job. I’ve been struck by some bizarre allergy that has made my face, including my eyes, swollen and itchy. So my momentary lapse into housewifedom comes with a price – disfigurement and a powerful itch. Oh, and did I mention that I leave for vacation in days?

I’ve had a pretty good morning despite the pox.

I slept an hour later than usual, rising to call in to work. I decided I might as well stay up and get ready to go see the doctor, so I took a shower and listened to NPR, as usual. Today, the Beastie Boys were on promoting their new album. They began the interview just as I was wrapping things up. On most days, I would miss the rest of the broadcast, but today I was able to go online and listen to the entirety of the interview. Sweet! And, of course, I have decided I must have the new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part 2.

K wants the Adele album, so maybe I'll go pick up both of them sometime today if my face ever gets to a less ghastly configuration.

Next, I began thinking about the luggage tag project I started last night. It all started well, but I have run into a snag.

No matter how hard I press with the iron, I can not flatten the tag enough to fit underneath the presser foot on my sewing machine, so I am unable to sew on the clear vinyl piece that would hold a card with name and address. I tried hand stitching the piece, but the vinyl is hard to pierce and it shifts too much, so my hand stitching looked awful. I love the way the rest of the project turned out, so I’m eager to find a solution. I’ll be spending some time today looking for solutions online, but if you have some knowledge and experience to share, I’d sure appreciate it.

Balthasar is glad I’m home. And he seems to really enjoy the dish towel with the bag of ice I’ve been using to help reduce the swelling around my eyes. Even with the pox, life is pretty good.

More Sewing Success!

Here it is, the reversible bag I mentioned in my last post:

I learned many things making this bag. Most importantly, to allow 3 inches of height for making the bottom of the bag. It's much shorter than I intended. Now that I "get" the construction, I'll be able to make something a little closer to what I really want next time. K is already asking for a beach bag, so it won't be long before I get a second chance at getting this right.

The Craft Bug

The craft bug has bitten again. This time, inspiration and motivation arrived after I picked up Stitch by Stitch: Learning to Sew, One Project at a Time

A few Black Fridays ago, I purchased some fat quarters of beautiful fabric I intended to make into cloth napkins. Using this book, especially for the mitered corner tutorial, I was able to make these little beauties:

Up next? The reversible tote with a flat bottom on page 108.

I have also been struggling with how to decorate the house for spring as well as how to make the space above the kitchen cabinets look nicer. More on that later, 'cause I've been doing some shopping and making K crazy as I deliberate. Anyhoo, back on the crafty track...I found a tutorial online on making easy robins eggs out of Dollar Tree styrafoam eggs. That turned out pretty cute:

My "decor store" is set up on a shelf in the basement, so please forgive the not so cute background.


In other news, I began a casual search for a sewing box yesterday. I didn't want just any ol' thing, so I looked at Etsy and Ebay first. Look what I came across and immediately rearranged my evening to drive to Olathe to get:

Yep. Perfect.

Valentines Day and Penis Touching

First, let me share what a fun, indulgent, sweet Valentine's weekend I have experienced. First, I took K to her favorite place, Buffalo Wild Wings, on Friday night for beer, wings, and trivia. On Saturday, I treated us to frou-frou drinks at Starbucks while on our way to the vet's office for Harper's annual checkup. She gained 9 lbs this year! We did some household shopping as well as digging through Hot Wheels at various locations for K's collection, and then had a casual lunch at 54th Street. I left her to enjoy a beer while I did some shopping at Zona Rosa. We finished the grocery shopping and then headed home for movie night and some quality time with my sewing machine.

Today we met our friend Laura at the dog park. Harper and Jake romped while I held onto the chain link fence for my dear life - the park was a mess of ice. We hadn't seen Laura and Jake for weeks, so we had a great time despite the treacherous conditions.

I did some laundry and housecleaning while Kelly ran to get the car washed, then we headed out for another super casual lunch, this time at Outback, before going to the Screenland Armour to see Casablanca on the big screen! I hadn't seen the movie before - I loved it. There were a few laugh out loud funny moments I didn't expect.

I also received some gifts that were pretty awesome:

If you can't make it out, that is 1) a box of chocolate turtles, 2) a glass head and 3) a SoCo tin. Yes, there is a bottle of SoCo in the tin. Pretty awesome, right? And we haven’t even made it to Valentine's Day yet.

On tap for tomorrow - gifts and dinner at Lulu's.

Don't you just love Valentine's Day?

On our way home this afternoon, we drove by Kessler Park where a group of guys were playing soccer. More than one of the participants was in some stage of touching his penis. I commented on it and K explained that while the average man can keep his stuff in place without excessive touching, those with small penises must constantly re-adjust that slippery little flopper. It made sense. Probably some of those who were holding the thing outright are afraid they might lose it completely if they let go too long.

Updated Twilight Saga Card Trading List

Since Twilight Eclipse Series 2 trading cards just arrived, I have an even longer list of will trade/needs. Drop me a comment if you want to trade!

Cards I am willing to sell or trade (Updated 09/24/11):


Eclipse (series 2)

81 (2)
82 (2)
83
84
85 (4)
87
88
89 (4)
92 (2)
94 (3)
95 (2)
96 (2)
97
98
99
100
101
102 (2)
104 (2)
105
106 (2)
108 (3)
109
110
111 (4)
112
113
114 (3)
115
116 (2)
117
118
119
120 (3)
122 (3)
123
124 (2)
125 (4)
127 (3)
128
129
130 (3)
132
133
134
135
136 (2)
137 (2)
139 (2)
140 (2)
141 (3)
142
143
144 (2)
146
147
148
149
150
151
153 (2)
154 (3)
155 (2)
156
157 (3)
159 (2)
160
G-1



Eclipse (series 1)

1 Eclipse (3)
2 Bella (2)
3 Edward (3)
5 Alice
6 Jasper (3)
7 Rosalie (3)
8 Emmett (6)
10 Esme (3)
11 Jane
12 Alec (6)
13 Felix (3)
14 Demitri
16 Riley (2)
17 Bree (2)
18 Sam (2)
20 Jared (2)
21 Embry
22 Quil
23 Leah
24 Emily
26 Grounded
27 Graduate
28 Another Party (2)
29 Police Chief (3)
30 A Gift
32 Territory (2)
34 Dangerous
35 A Fight? (3)
36 Hold on Tight (2)
37 “Vampire Girl” (2)
40 Charlie Asleep
41 Newest Member (4)
42 Spirit Warriors
43 A Snack (2)
45 La Push Beach (2)
47 In the Sun (3)
48 Missing (2)
49 Proud
50 Father and Daughter
51 The Vision (2)
52 Young Major
53 Three Women
54 Kept Me Waiting
55 Second in Command (2)
56 Newborn (3)
57 Marry Me (3)
59 Carrying Bella (5)
60 Kiss Me (2)
61 Battle
62 Unnecessary (3)
64 Torture
65 He’ll Be Alright
66 …I’m Sorry (2)
67 Magic Hour (2)
69 Another Party
70 Second in Command
71 Edward
72 Dangerous
73 Hold on Tight (1)
75 He’ll Be Alright
76 Unnecessary
77 Bella Swan
78 Edward Cullen (2)
79 Jacob Black (2)


New Moon

3 Edward
4 Jacob
7 Rosalie
8 Emmett (3)
11 Victoria
12 Laurent (2)
14 Paul
15 Jared (2)
16 Embry
19 Caius
20 Marcus
21 Alec (2)
22 Charlie (2)
24 Mike (2)
27 Eric
31 Party Plans
32 Plotting Revenge
35 Get Jasper Out
36 Mending (2)
38 The Promise
39 Rescue Party
40 Found
43 Finding Danger
44 Visiting Jacob
46 On the Cliffs (2)
47 Jacob Concerned (2)
51 Jacob’s Different
52 Break up? (corrected)
53 Unexpected Reunion
55 Secret Withheld
56 Secret Revealed
58 Hunting Party (2)
59 The Jump
60 You Won’t Lose Yourself
61 Alice Comes Back (2)
64 Just in Time (2)
66 Unreadable
67 Edward in Trouble
68 One of Us (2)
69 Back Together
70 The Vote
71 With Conditions
72 Checklist
73 A Disturbing Dream (2)
75 Jacob is There
77 Edward Leaves
78 Dream Catcher
81 Volturi to Judge
84 Jacob
T-3


Twilight (all NECA)
6 Esme Cullen
7 Rosalie Hale
8 Jasper Hale
9 Alice Cullen
16 Mike Newton
26 Biology Class
29 The People of Forks
34 A Family's Concern
35 Field Trip
37 La Push Beach
42 Haunted (2)
46 In Love with Him
47 Since 1918
50 Meeting the Parents
51 Rosalie's Fears
52 Flying Through the Trees
54 Hunter Becomes the Prey
57 Baseball with the Cullens
59 Going into Hiding
62 Alice's Nightmarish Vision
64 Captured
66 Venom
67 The Battle for Bella
70 Prom Night
72 Checklist


Cards I need:

Eclipse Series 2
G3
H1

New Moon
HT-1 Temptation


Twilight
AL-1 (NECA)
AL-2 (Inkworks and/or NECA)
AL-3 (Inkworks and/or NECA)
AL-4 (Inkworks and/or NECA)
AL-5 (Inkworks and/or NECA)
AL-7 (Inkworks and/or NECA)
AL-8 (Inkworks and/or NECA)
AL-9 (Inkworks and/or NECA)
D-1 The Cullens (Inkworks and/or NECA)
D-2 Bella Alone (Inkworks and/or NECA)
D-3 Edward Alone (Inkworks and/or NECA)
D-4 Friends? (Inkworks and/or NECA)
D-5 Bella’s Boys (NECA)
D-6 No One More Different (Inkworks and/or NECA)
PW1 Jacket Worn By Kristen Stewart As Bella Swan
PW2 T-Shirt Worn By Robert Pattinson As Edward Cullen
PW3 Jacket Worn By Ashley Green As Alice Cullen
PW4 Jacket Worn By Jackson Rathbone As Jasper Cullen
PW5 Jacket Worn By Kellan Lutz As Emmett Cullen
PW6 Vest Worn By Nikki Reed As Rosalie Hale
PW7 Jeans Worn By Taylor Lautner As Jacob Black
PW8 Jacket Worn By Elizabeth Reaser As Esme Cullen
PW9 Shirt Worn By Peter Facinelli As Carlisle Cullen
PW10 T-Shirt Worn By Rachelle Lefevre As Victoria
PW11 Pants Worn By Edi Gathegi As Laurent
PW12 Jeans Worn By Cam Gigandet As James
IP-1 The Hunter (Inkworks)
IP-2 Hunters and Lovers (NECA)
CL-1 PROTECTOR (Inkworks and/or NECA)
P-UK UK distribution
P-I (not P-1) Free Card Offer from http://Www.Inkworks.Com
P-MS trade show distribution – memorabilia show
P-PS trade show distribution – non-sport philly show

Twilight Saga Trading Cards: Eclipse Series 2 has arrived!

The Eclipse Series 2 cards are in!

 



It is an all-new 80 card set (numbered 81-160) with 25 new chase cards.

Set Composition: 80 Base Cards + 25 Randomly inserted bonus cards

9 card puzzle - Trio & Villians 1 in every 7 packs

6 card puzzle - The Cullens 1 in every 11 packs

6 card set - The Volturi Coven 1 in 11 packs


3 card set Riley 1 in every 23 packs


1 card welcome 1 in every 104 packs




I haven't personally seen them yet. Have any of you? I placed my order with Ed at scificards.com. Hopefully the one box I ordered will arrive quickly so that I can get ready for a massive swap with all of you! I'll post my new have/need lists as soon as I can.

Welcome Autumn!

What is it about Autumn that is so utterly irresistable? As far back as July I was taking inventory and perusing stores in preparation for adding seasonal touches to the house, though I promised my dear that I wouldn't actually bring them out until after September 22nd.

I have two pyracantha bushes in my front yard with beautiful clusters of orange and red berries that seem to usher in autumn and then decorate the yard for colder days when covered in snow. I clipped a few branches for the wall pocket. 

 (Yes, I know the quality of the lighting is especialy bad. This is what you get from a working girl with a day job. If you want to see it in the daytime, cove over some weekend. :)



Back in July I acquired some of those dollar store leaf and sunflower garlands and a wicker wreath. This is what resulted:

 A fun thrift store find:

Harper and I took a long nature walk up to Kessler Park, around the Concourse, then up to the entrance of Cliff Drive and the Kansas City Museum. I bet people thought I was a hobo or a nut, trying to control my over-anxious hound dog while I stooped to collect acorns, pinecones, walnuts, and ankle-turners (no idea what those things are really called) in my big plastic shipping bag.

These are styrafoam pumpkins yet to be decorated. One will get house numbers and go outside this weekend, hopefully. The other will get an argyle treatment and join the house numbers, if I am successful.

Finally, I want you to know what I go through to get these pictures - Zeus stalked me around and around the house, especially the dining room table, as I worked to get semi-decent shots of my handiwork.

   

He tired us both out.