a rockin dress

after seeing this tutorial on craftster a few months ago, i've had it in the back of my brain slowly eating away, telling me i need to make one or two or three. aaron has a plethora of old band tees he no longer wears. so this is going to be my weekend project. i got some plaid fabric and the first sacrifice will be a dropkick murphys t-shirt. hopefully i'll having something to show afterwards. let's cross our fingers.

snow bunnies

yesterday we hit up appalachian ski mountain. we had decided to take a 10:45 snowboard lesson but didn't get our equipment rented in time so we took the 1:30 class instead. we had planned on taking the one hour lesson and then putting what we learned to the test for the rest of the afternoon. good thing it didn't work out that way. after taking the lesson we were completely wiped out. everyone kept telling us, if you've ever surfed, skateboarded you'll have no problem snowboarding. yeah, if you've ever done it with your legs completely backwards and duct taped to the board.

i think we did okay considering neither one of us had ever done it before. we had a couple of spills, nothing major, which was really surprising. our instructor had us running up the hill with board attached over and over again. it's not as easy as it sounds and we both worked up a sweat pretty fast. we did have our own instructor who gave us one-on-two attention, so that was nice. after an hour we were able to toe turn, heel turn, stop and ride up on a tow rope. it was good to get the fundamentals from a pro. after the lesson we were going to practice some more but we were too tired and decided to call it a day. i actually went to bed at a decent hour last night, in fact, super early 10pm.

we had a good day and i'm excited to go again. it'll have to wait til after san antonio. i'd love to go again this weekend but after seeing how crowded it was on a tuesday there's no way aaron's gonna brave the weekend crowd. he hates busy places, i don't know if he remembers what disney is like. he may be in for a shock.

sneeze catcher

this week's project: tissue cozies. they're really simple to make and i can use small pieces of leftover fabric to make them. i've learned that i have to plan a little when making projects sans pattern. especially if i want to make any modifications, like adding a key ring. it took a few tries to figure out what i was doing. always a live and learn experience. hopefully with time it'll all become second nature.

i was thinking about adding credit card holders to to the checkbook design. not sure if i want to revisit that project so soon. maybe in a few months. i really need to keep a sewing journal of some sort. with measurements, steps, etc. i have been downloading tutorials and printing them out for reference, so that's a start.

we've been getting a little bit of snow. not much to write home about. we were hoping to get some sledding in today, but so far not enough to cover the little bit we got last week. we need to break in the super sled dad got us for christmas. we might have to save it for tomorrow.

we're hitting the slopes tuesday. first time to actually go skiing since we've been here. i'll need a refresher for sure. i might end up taking snowboarding lessons instead. i want to give it a go. although watching the people trying over christmas break, i have a feeling i'll be spending most of my time on my butt. you gotta start somewhere.

a little over a week before we head to san antonio for the AAD (american academy of dermatology) meeting. i'm so excited to go. i can't wait to see everyone and there's gonna be so much to do while we're there. TONS of pictures to come, i can almost guarantee it! i'm so glad it's in a warm place this year. i'll have to bust out the shorts that have been packed away for months now. we're even going to do a little geocaching while in town. jamie wants to try it and i'll need to help her get the hang of it. she's planning on getting a gps when they get back to washington state. aaron and i have found it's a fantastic way to see the area. and all the ones i've downloaded are along the riverwalk so it should be fun!!

sew original

today i hit up sew original, one of the nicer fabric stores i've been to. they carry the pricier fabrics that, of course, i love. after purchasing an abundant amount of sale fabric, i decided to make a impulse buy. doodle stitching. i'm infatuated with these cute, idea books. i've bought a few japanese zakka books and have my sewing bible (that i got freecycled). it's always good to keep feeding the mind's eye (i retained some college training). i'm still gonna use the internet, but i like having a hard copy to have for instant inspiration. and this one is full of super cute projects. you'll probably see what i mean soon. tomorrow i'll post this weeks craft of the week. goal for next week: set up shop. and i mean it!

entering a world of pain

i was just checking out gotshoo's site and saw his recent post about the lebowski experience happening in springfield this weekend. if we were there, we'd be all about it. aaron just bought the above t-shirt and is proud to sport it. nothing like having a huge image of john goodman on your chest to show your love for the movie. have fun shoo!

getting a little work done

what do you get the person that has everything and needs nothing? a little upkeep. sookie, my mother, decided she needed a little work done. she's been casually bringing it up in conversation over the past few years. "what does botox do?" "how do i make my skin tighter?" "what can aaron do for these bumps on my neck?" etc. so this year we decided to satisfy her and get her what she really wanted...a little facial maintenance. you'd think the lady that wears bedazzled sweaters, three inch bubblegum pink platform flip-flops and "happy smoke" necklaces wouldn't care too much about her appearance. but she does, so we obliged.

here's some photos of what aaron and his co-worker, jill, did to her while she was in town. basically they filled the divot between her eyebrows and filled the lines between her lip and chin (1 syringe worth)...it's what makes her look like she's frowning when she's not. they also gave her some botox above her eyebrows and below her bottom lip. jill recommended filling in the space between her nose and lips, but that would take another syringe and more money. i honestly didn't think there would be that much of a difference. but she looks great. this was done thursday before they left and the last photo is a few days ago. about 2.5 weeks later. and yes her eyebrows, eyeliner and lipliner are all tattooed on. i guess getting tattoos runs in the family. crazy koreans.

quoting movies

“I want something a little more edgier: graphic designer, mid-30s with a cool Asian girlfriend who dresses awesome and rocks out on the bass guitar.

“But I don’t want to be too particular.”

aaron and i went to see "juno" friday night. he wasn't too keen on seeing it in the theater. he thinks paying $17 should be saved for movies of epic proportion, which is few and far between. so he bit the bullet and obliged me. afterwards, we were both quite satisfied and agreed it was money well spent, at least for an evening of entertainment. it's a funny comedy with a lot of snarky one-liners. it's rare to have a female playing a self-confident role and she pretty much carries the whole movie. when the quote above was said...we both looked over at each other. she's basically telling her friend what kind of adoptive parents she'd like for her unborn child. we both thought it was too funny. i recommend the movie.

magical weekend

Hey Fans...Here's your chance to catch the Cardinals as they take on the Atlanta Braves at the Walt Disney World Resort!

This extra special Cardinals Spring Training package includes: Three nights accommodations at the Disney Port Orleans Resort or the Disney World Swan Resort with optional additional nights available, Game tickets to two games, March 9 and March 10, at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, Each guest will receive a 3-day Magic Your Way Ticket with Park Hopper option. Ticket allows entry to one or more theme park each day during stay (Ticket excludes admission to water parks), Custom Cardinals sports merchandise package, including a deluxe travel bag, tee shirt, Cardinals Spring Training cap and team collector pin

yeah, we're going

check please

irina asked me to make her a checkbook cover when she was here a few weeks ago. she's getting a homemade birthday present from yours truly. i can't just make one, i made five to comply with my craft rule. experimented with a few different techniques. used a little felt and did a little embroidery to boot. i think i'm going to have to modify my rule to one completed project a week. it's a little more realistic and if i'm doing larger projects i can put a little more detail and work into it.

wii bought one

as you know by now both brian's household and mine got nintendo wiis for christmas. it was quite a surprise, neither one of us had any inclination we were getting them. i had sworn off video game systems after buying a ps2 for aaron a few years ago and he played it a handful of times. so far he's played every day. if there is any down time or nothing on tv (which seems to be all the time now) he plays wii sports. i don't know if it's because the games are more interactive than other game systems but the nintendo seems to be a better fit for him. one of the main reasons i like it...it makes me laugh watching how serious he gets when playing and how funny his gestures are. (see above)

recycled christmas

as of this past weekend, all the christmas decor has been put away. so sad to see it all go. our house has tripled in size and looks somewhat barren now. it's the motivation i needed to get things rolling on interior design once again. i started to slack a little at the end of the year there. but one of my pseudo resolutions is to get this house looking more like a home.

this year we received a mad amount of christmas cards. and instead of chucking all the beautiful cards in the trash/recycling, i decided to reuse them and make them into holiday ornaments for next christmas. i found this easy-to-follow tutorial and set out to punching and scoring. i made three and couldn't be happier with the results. here's another idea on what you can do with old cards. i'm sure if you search long enough, you'll find many more things to do with them. the crafting bug is back.

i've decided to post progression photos of my face. the first one was taken monday evening. i had the peel done on saturday. aaron wasn't comfortable doing an aggressive peel on his own. he's a little out of practice, which was quite evident when he asked me how long we left the solution on. i think next time i'll have jill do it for me. aaron's been doing nothing but cutting off cancers and is a little out-of-touch with cosmetic procedures.

the second one was taken last night. the skin was starting to pucker and actually became quite uncomfortable and itchy. after awhile the lotion you apply just sits on top of the skin. no longer able to be absorbed through the crust. i'm really not supposed to mess with the peeling skin but it's really hard not to. it's supposed to fall off on it's own, but i decided to help it along a bit. probably why i have acne scarring in the first place.


the third was taken this afternoon. new skin visible. no longer looking too much like a leper. the thing about peels. they are a great way of rejuvenating your skin. that is, if you can tolerate the pain. but if you're thinking it'll get rid of scarring instantly, you're wrong. i've had this procedure done at least four times and i really haven't noticed a significant difference. it may work once if you have mild scarring, but moderate to sever may take more than a few sessions.

discussing your cycle

last monday we headed down to asheville to meet up with mark, danny and grandma westphal to check out the gingerbread goodness at the grove park inn. most of the houses had been on display for two months and they held up surprisingly well. it's unbelievable the things you can do with candy, cookies and other edible goodies. maybe we'll attempt one next year.

afterwards we headed back to boone. mark chirps, "how bout danny ride with aaron and susan ride with me?" okay. so i hop into the car not sure what to expect. pretty much spent the whole car ride chatting. mostly mark talking about him and his new lady friend, linda. an occasional mention of jane and then it finally rolls around to, "so what's up with you guys?" not sure what he's meaning i ask, "as far as?"

"grandkids."

so we spend the next half hour discussing our attempts, plans, cycles, etc. nothing like discussing your body functions with your father-in-law. now i know when and where danny was conceived. (aaron refuses to let me tell him.) how to make boy babies versus girl babies. and a few other words of wisdom/advice.

i almost got away with avoiding the "you pregnant yet?" questions as far as family was concerned this holiday season. mom only gave me a "maternity" shirt dress for christmas this year. no outfits or questions like last year. maybe we'll have something to report...but as of today...no bun in the oven.

the face of pain

well not really painful, but ugly looking. i let aaron give me a peel on saturday. this is actually mild compared to the last one i got. imagine this times 5. i'm gonna venture out looking like this today. i'm sure i'll get some funny stares. "poor girl, i wonder what the other guy looks like!"

infinite wisdom

a thermometer on the forehead. a clamp around each wrist to measure heart rate. a blood pressure cuff inflating at regular intervals. a monitor on the finger to measure oxygen levels. a brace locking my elbow in place. the i.v. slowly dripping. a tube shoved in my nose for more oxygen. a blurry doctor comes in, "so we're extracting your bottom right wisdom tooth today?" and he starts to pump in the anesthesia into the i.v. as he talks. just like that i was out.

i can probably count on one hand the amount of surgery i've had in my lifetime. i'm sure i had something done when i electrocuted myself when i was four (walking example why you should cover wall sockets), and i know i had oral surgery when i was in 6th grade to correct an upside-down tooth (which has since perished). this is the first time i can remember actually going under. or at least the whole process before and after. it's just crazy to me that i wake up jaw numb, tooth gone and absolutely no recollection of the whole event. there's no foggy memory. no residual feelings of pain from the operation. just 30 minutes of my life unaccounted for by my brain.

christmas in pictures

it's business time

so i'm a little behind the times. i'm making sure aaron's gets on his 4.5 hour delayed flight out of chicago. he just boarded and i'm passing time browsing the net. brian played this for me last night and i thought it was hilarious. i had to watch it again and share with everyone.

pretty dogs all in a row

the excitement of christmas is wearing these dogs out.

love lights

one thing i LOVE about christmas are the lights. the twinkle, the glow--there's just something about them that make me feel all giddy and childlike inside. disney feels the same way. and even though the weather didn't scream christmas the light displays did.

if i could get away with having them up year round i would. i just love seeing them on houses, especially way up on the mountainsides. aaron and i debate if we'd ever go crazy with yard art and inflatables. if there was a tactful way of doing it, i'd be all on it. but being a designer i think the idea is pretty much squashed. i'm just too anal when it comes to decor, and most light displays fall on the cheesy side. (no offense to those who have them) we've got our old-school lights up and even though they suck up tons of energy--i love em!

i'm such a tease

a christmas tease that is. two more days til family arrives. i can't wait!

biggest upset of 2007

of course i have to post this: biggest upset of 2007

AND appalachian state won the national championship for the third year in a row on friday. go mountaineers!

westphal does walt

disney in a day...impossible. especially when toting around four little ones. we did manage to hit up epcot and the magic kingdom. weather: couldn't ask for any better. i don't know how people do it in the dead of summer. lines were fairly fast. we got a fastpass for soarin seven hours later we were riding high. best attraction at epcot and super popular. we did a several more rides with all the kids. little shayna met all the height requirements so she was riding on every ride with the big kids! what a trooper. all in all i had a great time. can't really complain when it's all free. perks of having a disney employee in the family.

i had a great time seeing dana and her family. dana and i chatted into the wee hours every night. we had 12 years of catching up to do. she is a super momma. i must admit i was a bit overwhelmed. going from zero to four is quite an adjustment. even for someone like me. i love kids but i don't think i can manage four. how she does it on her own is beyond me. you go girl! we even got to squeeze in a short visit with oma alyce! exactly how i remembered her. must be the water over there. she looked and acted exactly the same.

i am glad to be home. as nice as the weather was down there, it didn't feel like christmas. i love to bundle up and snuggle under a warm blankets. love to see my breath in the crisp air. snow. and, of course, to see my babies again. although aaron is somewhere in the washington wilderness right now. this is the longest we've been apart since we've been together, 10 days in 10 years, crazy. i talked to him yesterday and he was four hours into his six hour drive from bellingham. then he had a six mile hike ahead of him. he was loving the scenery. hopefully he'll take plenty of photos and i'll make "sometimes aaron" post a blog about his trip upon his return.

making the lists

in case you missed it. an article was recently brought to my attention. thanks, aly. read more here: america’s 10 best outdoor towns

"the mountaineers are a win away from an unprecedented third straight national championship." aaron almost had a conflict of interest. it could have been siu vs. asu in the championship game. unfortunately siu lost to deleware last night. not much of a football fan but go mountaineers!!

"...these towns have not only back doors to some of the country’s best adventure terrain, but also lively, livable communities that are dedicated to playing in and preserving the great american playgrounds."

bad dog momma

lately i've been taking the dogs with me when running errands. we've got christmas decor everywhere and i'm paranoid they're gonna yank, pull, demolish something if left alone. yesterday i looked up from the computer to see bosco standing on our dining room table. so my concerns were well founded.

with it starting to get colder i decided to pack a blanket in the car and put the two in warm outfits, bosco in a smoking jacket and marley in her sweater. none of them bought by me. (i think i have brian and irina to thank for both.) ran my errands, got home and decided to leave them in their outfits. of course, aaron wanted to take them off as soon as he saw them and i told him to let them be. i think they like 'em i told him. a few hours later, marley was upstairs with aaron and didn't come down when he did. which was very unusual. we just thought she was very tired and decided to crash in her crate. then we heard a whimpering from her and we both shot up the stairs. there she sat, looking up at us from the top of the stairs. is she feeling sick? are her ears warm? aaron picks her up and says her paws feel wet. i grab her paws and they're ice cold. take the sweater off, i think it's cutting off her circulation. a few minutes later she's running around like nothing was wrong. problem solved! the price we pay for fashion!

how do you like my balls?

i'd bought some styrofoam balls to make some fabric ornaments i'd seen on craftster. after a futile attempt at making one, i came to the conclusion i was using the wrong type of styrofoam. this type would crush if i applied too much pressure to it. since i had five extra balls i decided to go in another direction. luckily i saw another post with these ornaments. who knew i'd find another use for my sequins stash! yes, i have an overabundance of sequins. over 2000 stickpins later and many hours of sorting sequins... here is the end result.

i'm going to disneyworld

this time next week i'll be in sunny florida enjoying the company of the mouse. disney in a day? is that even possible? aaron thinks it's unbelievable that we're even going to try. dana assures me it can be done. we'll see what the photos have to report.

busy weeks ahead. i leave wednesday for florida. aaron leaves next sunday for washington state while i return home, maybe we'll cross each others paths at the airport. brian and irina arrive the following friday. mom, dad and aaron arrive/return the 23rd. christmas, new year, oral surgery, academy...the list goes on.

yes, more teeth drama. yesterday i went in to see my orthodontist. after wearing my retainer for extended periods what i thought was my jaw was locking up. come to find out, it's the muscle around my jaw, kinda like a crook in your neck. culprit: my wisdom tooth. it's erupted and causing my teeth to misalign. he ground down the tooth and it was immediate relief. he recommends i get the tooth pulled, otherwise it'll continue to bother me. if it's not one thing it's another. so now i have to plan a tooth extraction sometime before the 18th of january. what a way to ring in the new year!

coming to a mailbox near you

i finally made some relocation notes to include in our christmas cards this year. here's the image i used. it's a portion of our tree skirt that aaron's mom made years ago. i would have modified it a bit, but aaron is insistent we get them out sooner than later. look for it in a mailbox near you soon!

criss-cross will make you...

it takes approximately six squares to make one coaster. 24 squares to make a set of four. 120 to make five sets. plus the additional square of fusible interfacing needed for each coaster. who knew such a little thing would take so much work and use so much fabric. here's one set i finished before we left on holiday last week. i should take a pic of the stack of squares sitting next to my sewing machine. we've been working solely on christmas decor that i haven't gotten a chance to finish. goal for today.

we got back sunday. a nine hour drive from cdale to boone. a venti, mocha frap and an ipod full of good tunes made the drive tolerable. good times in the dale. i have to remember, one night of too much fun early on can ruin the rest of the week.

we got to see everyone we wanted to see. how we did it in such a short span is still a mystery. next trip...maybe a short stint down to florida in a few weeks to see dana and the kids...and perhaps mickey. i'd be flying solo since aaron will be heading to washington state for his christmas hike with tom and crew. still have to look into a plane ticket.

this year we're hosting christmas in the carolinas for my family. we've been in holiday overdrive since returning from illinois. aaron dragged out box after box of christmas decor from the basement. who knew we'd accumulated so much. one of aaron's patients gave us an eight foot christmas tree that is now standing in our front foyer. a fraser fir, it looks awesome!! last night we trimmed it together. how quaint. i'd post pics but i wanna keep it a surprise for the family. i'll probably give a little teaser in an upcoming blog. i'm off to clean up a little...our house looks like it's been ransacked by little elves.

another felt creation

i gotta a little sidetracked on my way to making criss-cross coasters. yes, felt hair clips. 24 of them so far. i had bought a packet of snap clips a few weeks ago, knowing i'd eventually get around to making them. now is eventually. i first practiced using craft felt. quality isn't great, but served it's purpose. they're the neon looking ones with somewhat morbid designs. the pastel ones are made of wool felt. what a difference in quality. aaron convinced me to stick with cheery themes when making ones i want to sell. makes sense, a majority of the population would rather put cute than creepy on their child's head. i'll still do a few creepy quality ones, but unless there's a popular demand i'll stick with cutesy. now you'll know what will be occupying my time on our drive back to illinois monday/tuesday.

in action

i finally snagged a photo of carrie wearing my creation. yes, it's been "carrified," i mean sexified. it looks 100x better with the wider neckline. remember i didn't like the seam down the middle to begin with. i'm impressed she was able to make it work. damn, it looks good!

postsecret

postsecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.

new site find today. interesting to see what secrets people keep. do i have any skeletons in my closet i'm dying to share? anonymously, of course. i'll have to dig deep.

every sunday it's updated with new postcards.

i make me laugh

what do you do with intimate items you know you'll never use?

for the last few months i've been taking said items over to jill and jerome's. when they were distracted, i'd duck into their bathroom and toss an item under the sink. after leaving about five items i started to wonder if they'd come across the stash. jill and jerome are clean freaks and i remember seeing cleaning supplies in there so i know someone's had to have seen it by now. finally after two months i couldn't hold my tongue, i asked jill. "what!?! you've been putting that stuff under there? i thought it was jerome trying to hint at something!" too funny.

what items am i referring to? everything i got at my bachlorette party last year. kama sutra body lotion, spanish fly, penis straws, jenna jameson bubble bath and...
after an evening of drinking, you know someone's gonna be wearing edible underwear. let's just say it wasn't someone of the female persuasion.

go bold, go home

seriously considering going bold with wallpaper this time around. where? still pondering that one. i know it's going to be too much for an entire room. but as an accent wall, i'm sure it won't be too overwhelming. only thing i'm worried about, applying the wallpaper. it'd be a first for me...and i can already anticipate frustration. it'd be a challenge but if i start fairly small, i think i can pull it off.

bookmarked

i received a small bag of bamboo tiles in a supply swap a few months ago. i honestly didn't have a clue what i was going to do with them. after some brainstorming, here's the end result. fashion bookmarks. supplies: bamboo tile, paper scraps, hemp cording and plastic beads. great stash-buster.

this was the first time i used a high-gloss varnish. it took longer than i expected to dry but it was well worth it in the end. i also made a few pin-up tiles that i couldn't bear making into bookmarks. i think they would better serve as some type of jewelry. what type...i have no clue. i'll have to ponder on that one a bit longer. next project: criss-cross coasters. i think i'll alternate between sewing, crafting and home improvement projects.

i just dropped aaron, jerome and patrick off at the asu football game. i really don't think it's gonna be much to see. they're playing the worst team in the conference. jerome and his buddy patrick came over a few hours beforehand, had a little tailgate at the house. i did have to drop off three very drunk football fans. maybe the alcohol will keep them warm cause it's a bit nippy. go asu!

pocket pouches

i'm gonna fudge here. i made these a few weeks ago for yet another swap. the sweat shoppe swap. you make five like items and swap them for five different items. in this swap i get to choose the items i want and if they're available i get them. i got most of what i asked for so all is good.

the pouches resemble the clutch i made a while ago, only smaller and with a wristlet. i tried to accommodate peoples likes and dislikes so there's a wide array of style. i'll revisit these in a few weeks as a daily craft.

i am working on a craft right now. bamboo tiles covered with various papers. most of them will eventually be made into bookmarks similar to the one i made angela in the last swap. i used varnish on them to give them a high gloss look and it's taking a while for them to dry. i made more than ten so i guess that counts for two days of crafting. i'll post pics tomorrow of the finished items.

one a day

they've come back to haunt. garden gnomes! when in asheville a few weeks ago, our lovely host had an abundance of these little devils sprinkled throughout her yard. i started snapping away, knowing i'd be doing something with them somewhere down the line. first project: gnome notes.

man, does it suck not having a desktop publishing program. quark, indesign, anything is better then using microsoft word. i was able to punch out 3 sets of cards before my printer went kaput. inkwell is now dry. i gave a set to jill for her birthday and am selling the other two in my swap shop. i'm not too happy with the colors...wanted them to pop. once i get the bugs ironed out i'll make some more. hopefully i'll be designing aaron's office website and i'll be able to afford creative suite. how to break down the difference between programs: creative suite is equivalent to a lexus where microsoft word is a fiat. dumb comparison, since i haven't ridden in either. but you get the gist.

my swap shop is basically a place for my practice projects. i've been trading practice projects for more materials, i.e. buttons, fabrics. it's kinda nice having that option. they'd be going to waste otherwise. i've gotten a few cool items, but i'm finding my style and everyone elses are very different as far as finished products go. so basically i've been sticking to supplies.

i've also found that i need to give myself goals. otherwise i push things off and they tend to never get done. i've decided to do a project a day. at least attempt to. five items. two for practice and three to sell. unless, of course, they are perfect from the get-go. i am finding i am a little OCD when it comes to setting up shop. the sewing needs to be perfect, the photos have to look great and the marketing materials have to shine. at this rate, i should be open....never! ;)

this time last year...

pretty much the phrase of the weekend. the whole phrase: "can you believe this time last year we were in jamaica getting married?" jamaica...oh how we miss thee! seriously, we do.

we've officially got a whole year of marriage under our belts.

we thought we'd try and take one of those "spur of the moments" vacations/weekends, but that didn't pan out too well. (i don't think those work unless you live in a city with a major airport.) we even considered reliving the moment in jamaica. poor planning on our part. two nights cost just as much as five days. so that was a bust. instead we decided to have a date weekend. friday night we went out to dinner at one of our favorite "fancy" restaurants, the artisanal. food was fabulous.

saturday we went to the movies and watched dan in real life. a cute, romantic comedy. yes, cute. we don't like spending $16.50 on a movie we know is going to be so-so. we bit the bullet and splurged.

on our official anniversary we went hiking. a big difference from last year. since this was going to be the last nice weekend of the year, we decided to take advantage. we climbed 1000 ft. in a little over a mile. elevation on elk knob: 5520 ft. i thought i was going to die. it was pretty much uphill the whole time. but when we made it to the top it was totally worth the climb! aaron slathered on the zinc sunscreen so his lips are stark white in the pic. but we wanted to commemorate the occasion with a photo. slightly resembles the photo we took last year this time!

it was pretty much a low key anniversary. we shared a few gifts, relaxed, and were probably a little more lovey-dovey than usual. i think we both agreed we'd plan a little better next year. this time next year, i can't believe we'll be in jamaica! ;)

i swap a lot

angela received her tin today so i can post photos of what i made. above is the top of the tin. i went with her asian/orient theme. i love the theme myself so i absolutely enjoyed making everything. i practiced a little more using polymer, both inside and out.

unfortunately the blossom pin didn't make it. one of the petals broke. boo! :( everything else arrived intact. also included: a large marble magnet, blossom bookmark, origami crane earrings, fortune cookie cell phone charm and 6 marble thumbtacks. it was a great swap, especially it being her first!! you go girl!

brother brian asked me to make steak and potatoes. i told him steak is "so not cute" but he insisted. here's my version...i even made the little plate it's sitting on. i may redo the steak, it's a little too rare for his taste. he wants grill marks, the works. everyone's a critic! i should have put a dime in there for scale. it's pretty small, it can fit in the palm of my hand (to give you reference).

take the tour

per request, here are photos of the interior of the house. it's still a work in progress.

swap gone good

since my last swap was a bit of a disappointment, i decided to do a personal swap this time around. angela and i basically followed the guidelines for the altoid tin swap from craftster. gave each other a list of interests and presto! we have a swap. i think this is the better way to go. i know her skill level and she knows mine. she did not disappoint! she went with my "day of the dead" theme and did an awesome job! pictures to prove it. thanks, angela!! i'm so ready for another one!

a tad OCD

aaron and i have discovered that marley is a little ocd. especially when it comes to this chew toy. it can no longer be put it in the bin with all the other toys, it has it's own spot on top of the television. when we get home she runs and sits, staring up at it, begging us to get it down. she's also a clever dog. she's figured out if she scratches to be let out it'll get us up and then she quickly runs over to the television for the toy.

the other day, after throwing it a countless number of times. i put it on top of my car for a break. forgetting it was there, aaron took my car to run some errands and the toy fell off somewhere along the way. i walked down the driveway...nothing. he got back, took his bike and rode down the gravel road...nothing. marley sat in front of the t.v. staring up at nothing. poor dog. i pulled out some other toys to spark her interest...no love. i decided to try and find something that would/could replace it. while i was out searching aaron called. he had seen it along the road on his way to work yesterday morning. thank goodness. he stopped on his way home, braved traffic and got marley her bone. she, of course, is thankful and has yet to put it down.