Holidays

are here and I am not ready...

House Guests

Over the last 6 weeks we have 3 different sets of house guests. Not that I mind, actually, I like having guests, it's just that, it's a lot of work. Loads of laundry and tons of cooking and driving and sight seeing. I don't really mind, but add in having a job, a couple of dogs and life of your own and it can be a bit of challenge. We had a lot of laughs and really enjoyed all of them in their own ways and now we are glad to get our lives back to normal or as normal as our lives can be.

I'm going to try today to rest and do that halloween pillowcase dress for little Chloe so I can mail it on Monday with my swap box. But that means I have to find my inner creative monster and she's a bit tired today.

Stress and other Daily Dilemmas

Trying new things, going places, being all I can be is just a bit exhausting lately. Good news is work gave a a bump up on income this year. Nice that they realize I'm valuable. My craftiness has slowed up due to the amount of work I'm handling. Seems though as if I'm in a little burnout stage. Can't seem to concentrate lately. My focus is blurry. I definitely need a mind vacation.

I need fresh air.

Things I like #2

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Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

America Kitsch. Paul Bunyon or Vega's Liberace , it's all so kitsch you gotta love it. I have a modest collection of oddities from my travels. But this picture sums up hot kitsch kitsch can be.

My Favorite Thing #1

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Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

So I am just average everyday working woman with an opinion. Some people want my opinion and some don't. Figure those that don't, won't be reading my blog so here it goes. I'm going to list my favorite things and why. Not sure how many or long I'll wind on about them, but here is the first one.

Flowers.

I love things that bloom, If they have a great smell even better. If I can grow it from a seed, my heart just swells. All kinds of blooms, some pretty some ugly it doesn't matter. For me they represent beauty and renewal.

If I want to buy flowers, then I go to Bristol Farms. Great selection, a little pricey but they last a good long time unlike the average grocery or shop.

Tides Turn and the Sun Rises

It has been a long few weeks. The summer seems to be screaming by like jet plane. Each day has just been beautiful blue skies and warm sunshine. I actually, have been able to enjoy some of it on the weekends. Our yard has been our summer project. Or at least the backyard. The new sprinklers and lawn were quite an adventure to have installed in 2 days. It was so worth it.

The quandary is simply that I want to be out side in the sun and not inside sewing. We are having friends over tomorrow and I want to finish some scrubs I've been working on for my friend the nurse. I've only been working on it here and there the last month as I've been outside. I promised them and now I must deliver!

This coming weekend, I get to see some dear friends as one of them is having her bachlorette party! yeah! I am so very excited to be going back up to Seattle. I'm sure we will have a great time.

Sauted Brain with Mental Juice

The last three weeks have been a challenge. I am training the FNG to take over one of my rolls at work and she's just not taking to chaos well. I've been stuck in software testing for 2 weeks and then semester end and training of the new software. The brain is a bit fried at the moment.

I have new pictures of the new backyard that was put in during this time as well as this great Strawberry shortcake cake I made from PW's recipe. I just need to find the camera cable.

Life is a bit of mess right now and I need a day or two to re-organized. Take the dry cleaning in, drop the ipod off for repairs and pick up my broken glasses at the eye doctor. I know little things that a good wife could handle for me...wait.

I did get two pillowcase dresses sewn this week and mailed. I finally dropped the NASH bag in the mail to Phyllis too. So at least I feel I have done something that I wanted to get done done.

Weekend Mornings at My House

So I like to sleep. Don't do it well, tend to wake up at 2am and then be up until 5 or 6 am then I fall back asleep. That in mind, I then like to sleep to about 8:30 or 9. That would be in my world. In my husband's world I must and I mean must be up and out of bed no later than 8 am. So if I've only had a few hours sleep, I still must be up at 8 am or the world will in fact fall apart. Given that he has an early morning schedule and early evening schedule, I must be on target with him. Naturally, I am not. I would like a few more hours sleep in the morning and be up a few more hours after him. I rather enjoy that "me" time to do my little fun things at night.

The worst of it all, he has since trained his dog Dazzi to be up at 7 am. She is no matter what. So if she's in the bed with you, she's licking and nosing and stomping on you. If she's out of the bed, then she's barking and tapping her nails up and down the hardwood hallway.

There is no rest within that scope of things. I am working out Sunday afternoon naps though. These have been my life line to sanity.

Dazzi (Daisy) Dogg

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Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

Now she is our babybaby. This is Dazzi the Sidekick Dachshund. She is a black and tan wirehair and she has stolen our hearts as well as our shoes.

She is mischievous and funny. She keeps us in stitches with her antics. However, she is not yet the traveling dog as she still throws out her anchor and refuses to budge. That's usually Dott's que to drag her along.

Comfort Food

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Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

Every so often, we splurge. We dive into our sacred stash of Wolf Brand Chili.

It can't be found in the local markets in California and it is crying shame. We general either have it smuggled in by whomever is traveling west or we hand carry it ourselves when we travel back to Texas.

It makes the best Frito Pie.

Lost Time

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Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

So I was up until midnight last night in my "room". Is it a home office, a sanctuary, a crafting space or is it my cave?

I find that the egg timer I bought to keep me from loosing days in there isn't helping. All I do is reset it or just turn it off. So much for discipline.

Am I the only one that experiences this?

Traveling and Making Things

I have a new hobby that I only do when I travel. Needlepoint. It serves many purposes. First, I have something to do as I don't sleep well on planes. Second, I have something to show after wards for my time spent. Third, people don't talk to you when you have a needle flying.


Last September when were visiting Bowen Island, Dorothy our good friend, helped me learn how to needlepoint. There is a great needlepoint shop just behind Doc Morgans where I bought my first kit. While out touring on the Moxie, Dorothy gave me pointers and showed me how to do the basics.

After that trip, I tried to work on it all the time, but realized that time would just slip away. So then I tried doing it while I was traveling. It was perfect - compact, easy and mindless.

So here it is on my last flight, I was sitting in the Munich, Germany airport doing the last few stitches to complete the piece.

Jet Lag and Swiss Chocoloate

I am have been in Switzerland since Sunday night for a business trip. I spent all day Monday and Tuesday in a conference room doing a workshop on a new CRM tool the company is implementing.

Now it's Wednesday morning - and bloody early swiss time of 4:00 am drive from the hotel to the Geneve Airport.

I got stuck in swiss never-neverland between the first security check point and the scanner check point waiting on the gate assignment for my flight. Note by this time it is only 5:30 am. Nothing is open. So I wait...and wait. Finally duty free opens and I proceed to buy my husband every piece of dark swiss chocolate I can find. I had wanted to replace the swiss army knife that security took from him, but there was no time or opportunity so chocolates will have to suffice.

Meanwhile I got the info for my apron partner and I am most excited. I am already thinking of which fabrics I will use and little bitty ideas to go along with the Garden Apron Swap. I hope that my partner will like what I do. It's all so exciting.

Chick Food

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Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

On the rare occasion that I get to cook for just myself, the fare tends to be much liter than that of what my husband wants to eat.

I am a believer in "chick" food. Things like a steamed artichoke and piece of baked salmon. A lite dipping sauce of MW, lemon juice, Parmesan and loads of black pepper.

Other nights I may just have a cheese plate and some crackers. I do love a nice baked potato too.

Why do men feel the need to have 4 squares every night? Does it make them more manly? Especially during the summer heat, a heavy meal just seems to linger too long.

What other chick food dinners are out there that I do no know?

Am I up for the Challenge?

I bought this pattern. Amy Butler Weekender Bag. I thought I could use it for traveling as I do so much for work. I like how it looks. The size the shape.

But it just sits there giving me the stare down. Then I read blogs like this. Conquering Amy Butler and get more intimidated.

It's a very popular pattern. It has been blogged and blogged about. The most common thing I've seen in the feedback was that everyone that finished it was so proud of them selves for not giving up. From pin scars to using binder clips to get the job done, this bag is gonna take me down.

I have the fabric, I have the machine but do I have what it takes?'

Only thing I have in my favor is that I was able to do this pattern Amy Butler's Chelsea Bag. Fabric is Shopping Girls and Iron Work both by Michael Miller that I got from ShuShuStyle on Ebay.

Moving on the better times

So as I've been writing that I want to make personal changes, I've decided to do somethings that are completely about me. Funny how that works. First on the list is a class I'll be taking on "nuts and bolts of quilting" next month. Should be interesting as I snagged myself up a new Bernina Virtuoso 150 QE sewing machine. It's the mac daddy compared to machine I inherited from my mom. Next I signed up to do a "Garden Apron Swap". This is so new to me that it's got me all a atwitter.

I want to modify my blog to be more like a cooking/crafting/traveling format. This means more new pictures and more frequent posts. We'll see if I can make it a project too.

Inspiration

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Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

Sometimes in life you realize that things are not so rosey. That maybe life is really hard. You begin to wonder about how you got here and how you are going to move forward.

Recently, I realized there was someone in my life that is truly inspiring. She's always been right there. Always. She's not a world traveller or Harvard educated, she's not a career woman or a feminist. She's my grandma. She has endured almost 90 years now. She's overcome hard times, difficult marriage, loosing her daughter, being raised on a ranch, working herself to the bone doing things most people hire someone to do.

Her hands are not a bit crippled from arthritis, she's broken her back, she has health problems.

Most of all, my grandma has strength and she is silly and fun. Most people having been through as much as she as been through would have turned sour. She is still out there garage sale hunting and seeing people and as active as she can be.

She was the only grandparent we had much contact with growing up. When we were "the accident", it was my grandma that came to help us for months. The accident was bad, it put my mom in a wheelchair for a long time. My brothers were pretty beat up too. I only had minor injuries so I spent my time with grandma. She would make me the BEST pancakes and we'd play old maid for hours.

Today she is what inspires me.

Second Quarter of the year.

So coming back to a post a few months ago, I have started on the journey to reconstruct myself. This includes my outlook on life, people, my hobbies and talents, my health and future. Whether I am working on my spirituality or my fitness level, I am now doing something each day to improve me. Some would say improving on perfection - oh well anyway, I know I need a tuneup so to speak so here I am.

To say jogging is my favorite thing to do would be wrong, but I am finding it to be a quick easy way to get my heart rate up so this spawned a new ipod nano. Yoga has been added for the off running days to keep me flexible. Do I really want to mention the diet portion? Oatmeal - yes quaker oats, for breakfast each day and a banana chocolate protein shake for lunch. Dinner well is still a challenge as I live with a foodie husband.

I want to say I've started this task. That I'm trying to improve my sewing skills, my garden and my mindset. I find that some of my hobbies are intensely meditative and without them, I tend to be angry and frustrated in life.

I have no set goals other than to be happier and healthier in 1 month and more so over time. I am open for advice, support ectera, but ultimately I have to do the work to see the results.

Energy Food

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Originally uploaded by amysgreatadventure

A day to remember. When I was in Honolulu for my TNT Century Ride we ate at this great hole in the wall place. Best Ramen and Rice I've ever had. Great atheletic food.

2009 and Beyond

So the year is started. What is new, what is old, what is worthy and what has mold. I am going to try to achieve things this years. Not sure what they are or how I'll go about them but I am. I am strong. I am smart - at least in my world. I am stubborn and diligent. I want to overcome the obstacles that challenge a marriage. I want to conquer a new career. I need to evolve physically into the girl I think I once was.

Can a person metamorphosis into something new in just one year? How can you do all these things and stay sane?