1. Josh's semester is over, and he is now on break with only ONE SEMESTER LEFT!! Hallelujah, praise Jesus.
2. It's been a busy week for my etsy shop, Sewing Snails. If you had checked it last week, you would have seen "0 sales." But if you look now, you will see "7 sales." Seven!! Wahoooooo! This makes Snails very happy. Ok, half of them were family, but I did have a few real sales this week too!
3. I am a year older than last time I blogged. Yep, I turned the big two-three on Dec. 10. I don't feel much different. Just a little more blah. I feel like being 23 is a really boring age. 21 is like, "wahooo I can drink!" 22 is like, "wahooo people don't think i'm a drunk 21 year old anymore!" And 23 is like, "meh. blah." Oh well. I got some clothes for my birthday, and also... (see next point)
4. My techie/geeky sister Bekah purchased some URLs for me for my birthday. (Is that what it's called?) Yes, she thinks of those kinds of things. She's also the sister that helps me when my font gets bigger and bigger with each paragraph and I can't fix it. And then she laughs at me and posts about it on facebook. Well anyway, you will soon be reading my blog at musingsofasnail DOT COM. Yay! Or is it abisnails dot com? I forget.
5. I played Handel's Messiah this weekend. It was so lovely. I've heard so many of the pieces my entire life, but I never played it until now. I've been humming "All We Like Sheep" all weekend and trying to teach Josh the bass part. Hil. Arious.
6. I've been sewing. Sewing sewing sewing. I've had several orders for things from family members, and I'm trying to get it all done in time for Christmas. I definitely will, I'm just not sure anyone will be getting presents from ME this year because I have had no time whatsoever to shop.
I will post pictures of the things I've been making this week! Have a GREAT Monday, everyone.
I haven't been blogging. Duh. I feel guilty, but I shouldn't, because it's supposed to be for fun and fun only. So there, I'm done feeling guilty.
Here's what I've been up to:
1. We had Thanksgiving in the good ol' US of A last week. I made mashed potatoes and two apple pies. I still have half of an apple pie in my fridge if anyone wants to come eat it! We had quite a potato peel incident right before we had to leave for T-giving- someone (ahem, Lydia) forgot to run the disposal until there were 10 lb. of potato peels in the sink. Let's just say we had to use the toilet plunger in the kitchen sink. Yuck.
2. Being a kitchen failure. It all started with the potato peel incident of 2009 (I blame Lydia only to take the real blame off of myself- I know, I'm a saint). On Tuesday, I was boiling a whole chicken, and while trying to take it out (with two large spoons) of the hot, greasy, gross water, it slipped and fell back in the hot, greasy, gross water and splashed ALLLLLL over me, the floor, the wall. Well, me being a genius thought that would just be a once and done thing- so I tried again. Slipped again. Tried again. Slipped again. Humph. Greasy, gross, chicken water all over me and my kitchen.
3. I started a fire. In the kitchen, no less. I think remnants of the greasy, gross, chicken water incident of 2009 were still on the burner of the stove the next day. I was trying to boil some rice, but I turned the wrong burner on. There was a lid to a pot on the [wrong] burner that I turned on, and while I'm doing dishes, Josh yells, "ABBY!" I turn around, and there is a flame coming from the burner. Yes. I caught the metal lid on fire. Oh, you didn't know that metal could catch on fire?? Me either. Welp folks, she's done it again.
4. Decorating for Christmas. Hopefully I won't catch our Christmas tree on fire with my mad kitchen skills. We got our tree this past weekend. I think it is the earliest I have ever gotten a tree in my life. Growing up we always got it about the week OF Christmas.
Also, Josh broke my kitchen scissors trying to cut the top of our Christmas tree off. I will be expecting a new pair in my stocking!
Dancing and [not] being a hipster. My sisters and I (minus Lydia- sorry Lyd) and our husbands/boyfriend went hipster bowling and dancing this past weekend. I'm REALLLLLLY good at bowling. I think my score was 54. Here's a pic of my great form:
Happy Monday video! I saw this a while ago, so maybe some of you have already seen it. I just can't get enough of cat videos. Watch this one first!
Now watch this one:
As I was watching this, Delilah was purring and talking back too!
Ok, now that you know how crazy of a cat lady I really am, here is my post of randomness:
1. Wow, it's 9:24 AM and I have already planned my grocery list and meals for the week. Are you jealous of my amazing productiveness? Well, don't be too jealous because I don't have a job!!! ;)
(ok, I do have a job but I don't work full-time)
2. I made this bag for Sister Rachael last week. It came out really cute!
3. I had a good dose of children this weekend, and I think it will hold me over for a little while. On Friday, I babysat for my friend Becca. She has a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Julia (3) asked me, while giving them a wagon ride, "Abby, what are those green things on your legs?" To which I replied, "Oh, those are veins!" I guess my veins were sticking out. haha- Leave it to a 3 year old to point it out! Then, I wasn't sure if I could make it up a hill while pulling both of them in the wagon, to which Julia replied, "Abby, you just have to try your best and you can make it!" So cute. (I made it up the hill, in case you were wondering.)
Then, on Sunday Josh and I were the teachers for the children's ministry at church. I was with the babies, and Josh was with the older kids. The babies were very fussy. I don't seem to have that "motherly touch" to get them to stop crying.
4. On Saturday I went to brunch for my grandmother's (Mimi) birthday. I made her this purse and she loved it. It was my first time doing pleats. I think they came out pretty good.... but once again, my measurements were off. WHYYYYYYY???????? The pleat in the back ended up not being centered, hence, the reason it went to the back.
5. Then, Josh and I went to the wedding of one of his old high school buddies. The reception was at a beautiful farm with a pond and a creek on either side of the tent.
6. I am a techie. I think I just saved my computer from a virus. There was this pop-up that kept invading, wanting me to run this program, so I ran some virus tests, found the problem, and ZAPPED it. Yep. I feel like I am a techie (which is just ABSURD, because I clearly am NOT). But this morning, it seems as though the virus is gone!
7. I have lots of sewing projects planned for this week, including another shirt and some pillow cases for Sister Bekah. (I think that's how I will refer to my sisters now: Sister 'blank'. I like it because it makes them sound like nuns. I like that.) Have a good day!!! Go hug your cat!!! (if you have one, if not, hug something else)
Hi! I am trying to think of something special to do on Mondays- like a funny video or how-to or something- you know, to give Mondays a little lift (not that it matters to me, since Mondays are pretty much just like any other day for me!) So today, the special treat is this link:
I don't really know how I came across it, but seriously, these recipes are so good. Most of them are very easy, and you don't have to go all over the world to find the ingredients, which is important to me. I hate buying something I will only ever use once in a recipe.
I made the Spicy Honey Chicken, Spicy Honey Chicken salad with the leftovers, cupcake frosting, grilled potatoes, and creamy pesto pasta so far- YUM! Everything was so good.
Ok, now for my weekend update:
On Friday, I made these:
I actually didn't try them so I don't know what they taste like, but they look yummy! I used the cupcake frosting recipe from Our Best Bites. I did have a taste of that while I was making it and it was sooo yummy and creamy.
Then, Rachael and Austin (sister and boyfriend) came over and we watched He's Just Not That Into You. Did anyone else see that yet? I never read the book, but I didn't like the movie very much. A lot of it is about how girls just talk and talk and get these things into their heads about how much a guy likes them, and they read into these "signals" (which aren't really signals), and inside the girl's head the guy is in love with her, but the guy is actually thinking "when can I end this?" This all seems very true. So, this is what happens in the movie and it's funny and ridiculous, but then everyone is happy at the end and it doesn't seem like anyone learned any lessons! (sorry if I ruined the ending for you).
On Saturday, I had a recital for some of my students: (hence the cupcakes)
Me with five of my students.
They did a great job! I always get nervous before my student recitals because I just want them to do well (and all of their parents and grandparents are in the room). Don't they just all look so cute? I love it. I also make them introduce themselves and their piece before playing, for a few reasons:
because it is good for them to practice speaking in public and projecting their voice
I had to do it, so they should too.
It is just so darn cute! (is that mean??) "Hi, my name is so and so, and I will be playing such and such." but in a 5 year old's voice. I love it.
It was a very nice recital, very short, with yummy treats afterward.
After the recital, Josh and I went to the mall to get a few new things for our vacation! We decided this past Friday to go to Cancun for a few days! We are very excited/I am a little nervous. You know, just about the kidnappings, drug cartels, and swine flu.... that's all. So, if you don't hear from me by next Wednesday, please come to Mexico and rescue us. Gracias. No, but seriously, they say it is safe, and we will be at a big resort..... sooo, yeah.
So anyway, we (and by "we" I mean mostly "I") bought a few new clothing items for our trip. Then we went to our friends Ben and Lindsey's house for dinner. Fun day!
On Sunday, I made this:
A sunglasses case!
I noticed that I had a huge scratch on my sunglasses, so I need to get another pair before we leave for our trip. I always just buy the cheapos. But I wanted to make a case because that sounded easy and so that my new pair wouldn't get scratched in my purse. Here is the lining: You can see that I kind of messed up the top stitch. I should have had it on a bigger stitch. It got a little crooked. However, in my defense, it was really hard getting it under the machine because I put some kind of felt in there to make it soft and give the sunglasses more protection. So it was a bit "fiddly" under the machine. I learned that word from a blog I read and I just love that word. It gets stuck in my head. Does that ever happen to you? Just one word getting stuck in your head?
Anyway, last night we went to Rachael's softball game. Good job, Rach!
I think she was embarrassed that I was taking pictures. I snuck this one on the right!
Josh was embarrassed too. Come on people, I am a blogger now! :)
Have a good Monday! Make something yummy for dinner!
Hi! Welcome to my blog! I started this blog so that I could have a place to share my sewing projects, crafts, and everyday life as a wife, violinist, crafter, sister, etc. Enjoy!
