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Tomorrow is my birthday. I feel a little different about it this year than usual. There's a lot going on here, and I have been a little distracted. Usually, I spend the entire first half of the month of October trying to get everyone pumped up for my big day. Silly, right?  I haven't been quite so obnoxious this year, to the relief of my loved ones, I'm sure. I do still think that it is a pretty sweet time to celebrate another rotation around the sun: all of the ups and downs, and the challenges and triumphs. We all go through so much, and we all deserve to look at what we've been doing right and to have our friends and family pay us a little extra attention.

So, even though I am not a little kid anymore, I'm going to go ahead and enjoy the heck outta myself tomorrow!

3 Craft Retreat Projects - Part Three: Fall Wreath

This is the last of the projects that I completed during the crafty weekend. Hey! I totally worked on some cross-stitch and knitting, too, but those aren't finished!

Here is my fall-colored wreath:

I'm a little obsessed with Pinning wreaths these days. So many people are making such beautiful ones, and I am so glad they share their pictures. They are so inspiring! They are so creative!

For my very own wreath, I started with a dollar store twisted twig wreath and wrapped some variegated light brown yarn from my scraps stash around it. It looked a little bland, so I wrapped some of the olive green around there, too. There are tons of really cute crochet flower patterns to be found on (where else?!) Pinterest. The fancy-looking flower on my wreath was inspired by this sweet pattern that I found on Ravelry. I hot-glued those guys onto my wreath, along with a couple of buttons, and I think it's great!

I burned myself with the hot glue, of course. I always do. Somebody's gotta have a crafting injury. It was just my turn.

I can't wait until the next craft weekend!

3 Craft Retreat Projects - Part Two: Painted Tissue Box Cover

Another pinned project - COMPLETE! I loved the look of the painted tissue box cover from The Harpster Home blog. I am by no means a painter, but I felt pretty confident in my ability to put this together. I have a collection of acrylic paints, and I usually use them with my foam stamps or some stencils. Nothing too complicated, you know. I recently used some paint on a project with some small canvases - I should share those! I used the same colors on this box, and I like how it ties things together in my office.

If you compare the original, inspirational box with mine, you'll see that my technique probably isn't anywhere near as nice. I am not ashamed of my box, though!  :-)  It was seriously fun and really quick to make. I put a layer of white on the whole thing, and I ended up having to put two coats of the color on top of that.

It looks pretty sweet on my desk, don't ya think?

3 Craft Retreat Projects - Part One: Paint Chip Calendar

I pinned this project ages ago, and it was in danger of becoming one of those pinned-but-never-actually-done-it things. My craft board is FULL of those! This crafty weekend was great, though, because I did THREE of my pinned projects! I am so proud!

So, I found this genius calendar (via Pinterest, of course) on the Crafty Chic blog, and I loved everything about it. It was so simple and inexpensive! I swiped the paint strips from Wal-Mart (two each of seven strips, just in case I messed anything up!), and the whole thing was really easy to complete. I glued the colors onto some white poster board, leaving room to write the month name at the top. Using a dry-erase marker on the glass of the frame (I used a 16x11" frame) is really neat and fun.

This one is hanging up in my office at work, and I have been getting lots of nice comments about it. We may even have some normally non-crafty types trying this one!

 

I just got back from the store a couple of minutes ago with the supplies to make another one - muted colors this time - to use at home. I'll post that one soon, I promise!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

3 Days of Away-from-Home Crafting!

I am a very lucky girl. This past weekend (including Friday), I took a little road trip and spend three days away from home with nine other ladies eating, crafting, and talking. A few times over the past few years a group of friends - some coworkers, some not - have gathered at this really sweet cabin that is built exactly for this. There are craft tables, a fully stocked kitchen, and ten beds. Best of all, this was the perfect group of women to spend a whole weekend focusing on crafts and being comfortable.

I can't wait to share some of the things that I made with you! I should probably work on that after I recover from that weekend and catch up on some sleep.

In the meantime, behold my favorite cat ever.

Up. Up. Up. And, Away.

Two weeks have passed me by in just a blink. It has been a crazy couple of weeks, for sure. The Moore family has gotten some stressful news, but we are handling it really well. Being married to a loyal, respectful, and communicative husband really helps during these times, and I hope I am half as successful at being a good spouse as he is.

That really great husband of mine dragged me out of bed this morning (because I asked him to do it!) so we could drive to Prosser for the Hot Air Balloon Rally. {Locals: it's happening again tomorrow, if you are interested.  :-) } I wasn't really sure if Mr. Moore (or a hundred wild horses, really) would be able to get me moving, but I am really glad we went. Emma didn't remember our previous trip, and she was thrilled to see the whole thing - and so up close! It is impossible to resist taking (and sharing) a million pictures of these gigantic and colorful things. I hope you enjoy these. And, I hope it inspires you to get up early to catch your own local balloon launch.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Birthday Cake!!!

A few years ago, we accidentally stopped making "normal" birthday cakes. I honestly can't remember which cake started this delicious change, but we have been eating wonderful cakes like Red Velvet, Black Forest, and this Mexican Chocolate Cake with Ancho Whipped Cream. 

I used the recipe from our Williams-Sonoma Baking Book. This book is amazing, even if you never actually use any of the recipes! The pictures are inspiring, and the directions are really very clearly written. There are tips or in-depth information on each recipe in the book, as well.

This cake was fantastic. It was not too sweet or too rich, and the chili powder gave it the best smoky-chocolate flavor. It might sound odd or different to you, but I highly recommend it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I Always Do Worry for No Good Reason

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I volunteered to participate in an event at work. On Wednesday, the third annual Diversity Street Fair was held for a couple of hours in the middle of the work day. Employees and some community members set up tables or booths to display items, hobbies, or cultural foods - or just whatever people felt like sharing. It's a nice way to get people across this pretty big company to get out and see each other as regular people - not just office mates or scientists or managers, etc.  

I got a wild hair one day and responded to the call for volunteers. Deep down, I knew that I would do a fine job of displaying knitting stuff - I certainly have enough yarn, books, and tools to cover a table!  The closer I got to the date, the more I felt some stage fright, which was very silly. Some knitters and some non-knitters stopped and chatted with me. I pretended not to be shy, and I have been invited to join an small group of knitters. I cannot tell you how excited I am about that! I enjoy hanging out and doing crafty stuff with other people!!

Here is a picture of me at my table, courtesy of my friend Nanette:

I can't tell you why I am leaning a little, but it's kinda funny, right?  

I hope you are having a fantastic Saturday!

More than I expected from my mental health hour

I got off work a little early yesterday, which is typical for me on Fridays. Sometimes, I take this opportunity to do something by myself. I found a cozy spot in the lobby of the local library. There are some nice couches and an espresso stand in there, which draws in some hipsters. I saw some kids waiting for parents to pick them up, and a group of people were preparing for a celebration of all things related to Star Trek.

I was lucky enough to find my mp3 player in my knitting bag - hooray! Fueled by Florence + the Machine's Ceremonials (LOVE!!!), my knitting needles and I went to town. I started to look at my watch and was planning to leave to pick up the girls in about 10 minutes when an older couple approached me. I was confused when the lady looked like she was going to sit next to me - there were plenty of other places to sit. The man with her asked if they could interrupt me because his wife likes to knit and would like to chat for a bit. It was so sweet. We talked for a few minutes before I had to hit the road. It was a neat little surprise for my Friday afternoon break.

It made me realize how much I would really love to belong to a group of knitting/crafting people who meet up occasionally. I guess the crafting groups and book clubs probably won't come looking for me - I'll have to break out and find them!  :)

Oh, and Happy Caturday:

I'm a Little Nervous

I did something that is totally out of character for me. And, I am starting to get really nervous about it.

I volunteered (no one forced me to do this!) to show off my knitting stuff and my knitting skills at a social event at work. This is going down next Wednesday, and I think it will be fun if I can just settle down a little bit. I am going to take some yarn, some needles, and some books. I've been told that I can knit and answer questions.

Someone please tell me that I will come out of this okay!

I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, enjoy this little picture of an example of one of my past projects:

Kindle cover for the best father in law in the whole world.

*Pattern via Ravelry: Kindle Cables

First day of 4th Grade!

I know a lot of my friends are mourning the end of summer vacation right now.

Not me! I love the beginning of the school year. The structure and goals are good for us. It means that fall is coming - just in time, because I have had my fill of the hot weather. And, I believe that this girl was excited to see her school friends and impress her new teacher:

We hastily took this picture at the end of the day, so the quality is not amazing.  But, I just look at how happy she is!

Easy fix: Menu board

This post is not earth shattering. You've been warned.

I am hoping that it will be a helpful, though. I think that the menu boards that I have seen people make and post on blogs and Pinterest are super cute. My craft plate is full, and I cut a serious corner on this one. While school shopping with my daughter today, I bought this dry erase board at Target for an insanely small amount of money:

It's always a goal of ours to plan some meals for our week, and I like the idea of having this dedicated spot to make our list. It's not fancy, but it makes me pretty happy. Here's what mine looks like right now:

First Post!!

I'm feeling so much pressure right now! First blog post: what do I say? I want so much to impress you, even if you are already my friend.

Am I funny? Well, I think so, but I don't know if I am really funny enough to claim to be able to entertain you. I am sure I will feel the need to share some funny links, sometimes, though.

Am I smart? Again, I think so. I am certainly no expert in anything, but I like to share my thoughts and adventures. It might be easier to show you here than in person. I get shy and weird.

Mostly, I am friendly. I like to connect with people. I hope that, when you eventually find this blog, you will want to connect with me, too. Tell me hello or what you think about what I have posted. Trust me, you'll totally make my day.

In the meantime, I am shamelessly posting a wedding picture. That's our little family. It was such a wonderful day, and I am so proud of us.

Welcome! Come back soon!