the john steinbeck

there are a million other things i should have been doing, but i started working on a new purse yesterday during naptime. i was going to make a bigger, hip-slung bag from a tutorial i found on craftster a few months ago. but then it just seemed to complicated & really do need a new purse. so i took this grocery tote tutorial (by the way, these bags are really cute & would take 15 minutes to make) and modified by adding a lining & some detail stitching. but for the first ten minutes of work, this bag started out as a project gone wrong. my enthusiasm is great & my expertise lacking...but redemption won out! in an instant an idea popped in my head & within ten more minutes all of the "DARN's!" were blotted out.

and so i'm calling this bag "the john steinbeck". THOU MAYEST triumph!

oh, there you are

this what we were all doing last year. that was fun.

help me: communion cookies & milk?

a few sundays ago i was thinking about the substitution of grape juice for wine during communion & i was a little baffled. i thought about explaining that sacrament to annabelle & i thought about what she will say to me, eventually--"why do we have grape juice? jesus said wine." i know she'll say that. and what will i tell her?

i'm up for discussion. chime in.

i've been mulling it over in my head for quite some time. i've thought about the alcoholic argument--and surely jesus knew about drunkards. i've thought about the act being more about remembering and less about the actual elements--but then why not use cookies & milk? or be baptized in jello? ridiculous, i know. i guess i'm wondering where this "right to substitute" has come from. might as well assume that when jesus said to take up our cross & follow him, he meant something else.

Anne Lamott at Joslyn

Anne Lamott is doing a lecture at the Joslyn on Wednesday, September 19. It's free but you have to register here

My little postcard suggests that the talk may be on her book, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, which I was not terribly crazy about. Still, I remain true to my love for Anne. I have already registered.

I think we should all go. Maybe have dinner together before? We could make it a late birthday celebration for Cheryl and Darby (Ali, too, if only she were going to be here. Booo!!).

Any takers? Anyone?

my apologies -and- let's decide

my apologies: been bad blogger these past few weeks. too tired. too much to do during nap time. like watching dr. phil (kidding..and not kidding).

let's decide: only a few weeks from now!! we reunite!! in central iowa! here:

1. are we reading a book? if so, what?!
2. any particular ideas of stuff u wanna do on saturday?

the story

the story of my potter-ific weekend is on my blog... check it out (i tied for first in the potter bee!)

$300 in free dairy

Five Minutes for Mom is having a contest that is a giveaway for $300 from Horizon Organic. Visit their site for more information. We are plentiful enough...surely one of us will win!!

too hot outside

if i still lived near my sister, i'd plan a theme for the summer-- "movies we remember watching a hundred times during summer break when it was too hot to play outside"--and then we'd watch them until midnight every thursday night (our night out). add titles if you see fit.

1. poison ivy, starring nancy mckeon & michael j. fox
2. top gun
3. grease
4. all haley mills movies (pollyanna, summermagic, the parent trap)
5. swiss family robinson
6. class cruise

Thanks for the tip, Caron.

This morning on my doorstop (via FedEx) was a full-sized bottle of Juicy Juice. This was my free "sample" I sent for thru Freebie Fridays on the Motherload. Wow!

Another Fashion Choice for Whocares

We would like totally be like Whocares unleashed on Iowa City in all our trendy-fine-ness!
Like, Awesome! GO TEAM WHOCARES!!! (insert Howard Dean scream of enthusiam here).

tonite

if you have nothing to do tonite and want to see some crazies, join me at the borders on 72nd/dodge at 9:30 for the harry potter book 7 release party.
i already saw a mini-harry potter at target today... cheer me on at the potter spelling bee. it's gonna be a blast!

going along

there are five or six blog drafts stuffed in a folder on my desktop from the past 2 weeks; interrupted writing left for the trash bin. it has been a mad rush around here, but now...the decrescendo. it's friday! a take-it-slow day for us. today:

1. drink all of the coffee i made, slowly.
2. fold some laundry.
3. walks (only 80 degrees? how could we resist?)
4. fish for dinner.
5. resting. recovering. reading "east of eden", still.

what are YOU doing today?

a word on "east of eden": this longest book i've ever persisted through-no skipping chapters or paragraphs or looking up a summary on the web because i'm bored. the characters are so vivid & alive on the page & in my mind. there have been countless times this past week that i've wanted to reference cathy or samuel, but no one i know (jason, annabelle, violet) has read it, yet. but you...YOU SHOULD PICK IT UP!

perfect saturday

taken last saturday morning. 6am.

the joy of renting

When we moved back to Omaha, we didn't really have enough time to do any decent househunting, so I spent a few days here on a blitz to find a place for us to live. Found this really cute midtown duplex and said sayonara to home-owning for the time being. No lawn-mowing, snow-shoveling, home repair (thankfully, because Michael's not very handy, God-bless-him), etc. There's a beautiful honey locust tree out front, big windows, wood floors. What's not to love, right?

This morning I was reminded of why we ever decided to buy a house. The dumpster gets emptied between 3 and 4 AM on Thursday mornings, RIGHT outside of my bedroom window. Nothing like the sound of garbage-truck brakes in the dark to send you through the ceiling! A few hours later I woke to the sound of a bobcat destroying my back stairs, retaining wall, and front steps. Did my landlord bother to mention this to me when we were talking the other day? Nada. What a rotten surprise!

So I have new steps. Come over and sit on them sometime!

vote for my shop

okay, here are my ideas and your ideas... tell me what is best, for i do not know. of course if they have an audio option, you know "she's crafty" will be playing

1. me hearties
2. the veggie burrito (this is silly, but certain people call me burrito [ehhem, caron] and this was also the name of my brother's fantasy football team, he's a vegetarian.)
3. the green bee
4. thread operation
5. its so easley inspired by caron

tell me what you think, or if any of these bring other ideas...

Just got back from KC

I had a very nice weekend in KC by myself visiting a friend of mine. She is a gem.

Here are some of the fun places we visited:
Urban Arts and Crafts
Birdies Panties
Babycakes Cupcakes
Eden Alley

Blasted SunRocket

It promised too much. Free long-distance. Only $200 for the entire year of phone service. Too good to be true. Our phone was being sketchy on Monday. Kyle happened to look at the NY Times and saw that SunRocket had fired nearly all employees and had fizzled out service for all its customers without warning-- one of which was us. Arg. Anyway, we are in process of trying to get our phone number back. It may take several weeks.

Until then, if you'd like to call us our new temp number is:502-9627. I'll notify you all when we got our old one back.

P.S. If you never call me, you can use this as a nice excuse to give me a jingle for the fun of it. :)

hoodies, t-shirts and whatnot

Here are some basic designs to vote-on... Nate did these today to start discussion. (thanks honey)
These are all simple so that Nate and I could screen them at our house.
Post your comments on which design you would go for out of this batch... if any... or if you would want something more elaborate...

free stuff

do you or someone you know need one (or all!) of these items?? we are trying to get rid of things that we aren't using, that someone else may need...

-octogonal dining table with 5 chairs... not hideous, but not lovely, does the job.

-window air conditioning unit. this is an oldie, but the cool air it blows out is so nice!! it's very heavy. (i think we got this from caron and ja!)

-charcoal grill. this is a golf themed grill, could be funny to drop off at someone's doorstep with a funny note.

-wrought iron outdoor coffe table. the top, or glass, is missing, but would make a cool project... you could make some tile mosaic top to it... it's pretty, but we don't need it.

and that's what i have for now. if you are interested, let me know... if you need a pic, i can take some and post them...

on crocs

you should read this article about crocs. i have a pair so i feel okay making fun of them, and you should, too. they are hideously ugly.

my favorite line:
"On a muggy New York day, the holes punched in the toe box allow for a soothing breeze to cool the sweating foot. Even so, the ratio of shame to comfort was extreme."

i need your brains and submissions

what would you name an online craft shop?

i am thinking about starting up an etsy shop in august, and i am horrible at thinking up catchy names that i won't hate in a month. or a year.
something memorable, something that could have a cool logo.

help! you are the most creative wordsy people i know. bring it. winner gets something cool. someday.

**unrelated note**
and i was online investigating promotional items for the company i work for, and remembered a while back alicia mentioned getting whocares hoodies... any takers?? any designers?? i bet we could get them for under $30. just a thought.

feel the beautiful chill

it's cold this morning. i thought somebody should say something. i hit the road a little after six, looking for coffee and solitude, but had to run back inside for a jacket. doesn't it make you feel so happy and alive, when the air is brisk? after last week, i thank God for his meteorological mercy.

Frail my heart apart, and play me a little shady grove

one of the most lasting memories of my adult life happened this weekend. annabelle & i drove down to st. louis on saturday night. we parked our car five feet from the mississippi river, threw a few rocks in, & then walked up nearer to the arch. there were hundreds of people gathered on the steps facing the river, facing a portable stage, where emmylou harris would play a free, open-air concert. the place was alive with all sorts of commotion. we got two hot dogs w/ mustard, some drinks, & walked up to the stage. i put annabelle up on my shoulders when emmylou walked out. annie had her arms raised up, fists closed, and was waving them around at the band with more fervor & excitement than i could, in my adultness, express.

and with each note during "orphan girl", my spirit felt exalted. i felt my sorrow lift. some sort of understanding filled my heart...some brief view of the grand scheme in the life of our family...a snapshot of the larger picture. annabelle & i wore the same awed, open-mouthed smiles. shock & delight. all throughout the show, she kept saying, "her singing sounds so nice, mama."

we moved further back after a few songs, ate our hot dogs & watched barges go down the mississippi. we talked about helicopters, jesus & thomas, & the occassional "doo-doo" reference from a silly, sleepy kid.

there were fireworks after the concert. black-eyed peas "got it started" & then bananarama's "cruel summer". emmylou + summer pop music + fireworks=a caron easley dream come true.

(was inspired by cheryl's post awhile back about things like this. thank you, cheryl!!)

sound off: christianity & politics

megan's husband, craig, is writing an article for a christian magazine on politics & faith. he's asking for people to submit their opinions. go here to be a voice or just see what he's doing. i like megan & craig a lot.

i forgot to say

the guitar was $70.

where is my brilliant idea??

i would never have thought to make an animal bean bag... the people at boon (the maker's of this ingenious creation) are just too smart.

i win too!!

1001 is a palindrome. i...uh...i think i should win sweet things too!

i can't resist you

guess i couldn't resist being the 1,000 poster. and then i get to give myself the grand prize: a big fat smooch from myself!! and a hug. and a dark chocolate bar. and a mix CD. and a day at the spa. and a pack of new razors. and other things.

suckers. i love you.

love=borrowed clothes

the scripture talks about garments of praise and garments of righteousness, and right now i'm dressed completely in borrowed maternity clothes. garments of communal motherhood.

it's a really sweet feeling, to be literally covered and supported by the clothes of friends.
as i write this i'm wearing:

jean skirt (thanks cheryl)
black top (thanks alicia)
green hoodie with pink flowers (thanks caron)
comfortable undergarment which will remain nameless (thanks lisa in iowa city)

i love you all. xoxo.

when i go deaf (def)

this evening we're sending our laptop in for repairs & will be without a computer. this is exciting. i got a new guitar in peoria this weekend & am planning some song-smithing (you should see this guitar: it is SO cool). also, i want to finish up "east of eden", which i've been reading for a few months. work on some new recipes, finish a coupla sewing projects, & enjoy 5-9 working days without distraction. aaah. life without the world wide web. should be nice.