10 things

making me happy right now:

1. It's Friday. Hello!
2. It took less than half the time I thought it would to pack up a friend's kitchen this morning(she's moving.)
3. So I had time to have lunch with my BFF. Donna and tacos and Diet Dr. Pepper. Ahhhhh.
4. Did you know that they have new taco sauce at Taco Bell? It's green. Yum -0.
5. My kitchen floor is freshly mopped.
6. The spots in the carpet are scrubbed out. (Why are the spots always right in the middle where you can see them the moment you walk into the room? Nobody ever dribbles behind the couch. It's annoying.)
7. Tonight I'm going over to a new friend's house to start on Buttercup's scrapbook. I've been looking forward to it for a couple of weeks and it's finally here.
8. I've got my comfy jeans on.
9. Mr. Dub comes home from his business trip tonight.
10. Purple and orange and green in the flower pots on the front porch. Happy Halloween!

What I want right now

more than anything is to have one whole day where I don't have anyone expecting me to be somewhere or solve some problem or do any particular thing, but I could still manage to retain enough self-discipline and presence of mind to do something that I love. So that even though I might have a whole day without obligations to fulfill, it would still be productive and valuable and memorable.

The really ironic part is that I could choose almost every single day to do exactly that. It seems like at the end of every week I think that "next week is wide open for me - I can do this and that and finally get around to the other" and then Monday morning rolls around and my whole week, every single day, is filled nearly to the brim, and in the spare moments that do occur I seem to always choose "nap" or "Project Runway" or "facebook" instead of choosing to do something that I love which is productive and valuable and memorable.

I feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities offered to me, overwhelmed by the number of choices I have, and overwhelmed by the sight of so many people in so much trouble who really honestly do need attention and care and help.

It's 12:30 am. My steadfast Mr. Dub is out of town. It's been a tough week that included a car accident, a misunderstanding, a last minute this-is-going-to-take-all-night school project, an ambush by a swarm of mosquitoes, and high pollen levels. I'm itchy, tired, cranky, and a little bit lonesome. Those are bad circumstances in which to blog, and while I know that, I can't seem to help it tonight.

Baby, in black

Avery likes her poncho. She looks so cute in black that I'm definitely making the matching hat to go with the poncho.

I had this sweet baby all (mostly) to myself this last week. What an absolutely dreamy little girl! She is so fun and so silly. She learned two tricks this week - how to shake her head "no" quite emphatically, and how to make a funny sound with her tongue.

Because Avery was here, and we stayed up most nights partying, I got nothing done all week. Mr. Dub is out of town this week so I'll have lots of time to catch up on things.

I'd rather play with Buttercup.

Whatcha doin'?

Black poncho, knitted with cables and twists, Caron Simply Soft 100% acrylic.

It looks huge to me in the picture but it's little. And it's for our sweet little Buttercup.

Come on in and stay awhile

Well, I never got around to sweet and lemony today, but I had a very busy and gratifying day just the same.

I had meetings this morning before church, then a short nap after church. I love a good Sunday afternoon nap. The truth is that I take at least a short nap almost every day - for some reason Sunday naps are especially nice.

Part of my responsibilities as Relief Society president include visiting the new ladies who move into our congregation, and visiting sick people in the hospital. I actually really love these two Relief Society jobs.

Tonight I visited with a woman who moved in a couple of months ago. We had a meaningful, uplifting, insightful, and hilarious time.

What is it about lemon tart?

Remember a long, long time ago when I posted about lemon tarts, and how they make the world seem good?

Easily half of the new visits I get to my blog are referred here by someone who has googled "lemon tart".

I get a kick out of that. I also get a kick out of lemon tarts. Tomorrow I'll have a sweet and lemony recipe for you.

Book Review

Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood.

I bought the book for a few cents at the used book store, which is kind of a hit-and-miss thing. I've had it for over a year, I think, and just now got around to it.

It is freaky.

I couldn't put it down. It's been a long time since I've read a book like that. It's definitely a keeper - a book that I'll read again and again. Not because it's a "feel good" kind of book, just that the characters are so interesting and so...I don't know...real. I felt transported to the scene somehow, like it was all playing out in front of me. I cared what happened to these people. And I love it when that happens.

It's based on a true but sketchy story about a woman in the 1800's (falsely?) accused of murdering her employer and his housekeeper.

The quilting

aka "my stash". And a few works-in-progress.

I hope, now that I've got everything out in the open, that many of my works-in-progress will become finished items.

I've got a cold, which is a bummer, but it's making me (or giving me a good excuse!) stay home and do crafts!

Wait till you see what's on the knitting needles at this very moment! It's too cute for words.

The sewing...

and the stamping...and the beading...and the card-making.

I need a good chair that I can use while sewing. A rolling chair with a padded seat and back that's the perfect height.

Because a kitchen chair dragged in from the other room is just not getting the job done.