Scrappy Miniature Quilt

I made another quilt (I know I am obsessed). 

This time I was inspired by the wonderful blogger here who started talking using scraps to make more beautiful things. I liked the idea of using small bits of things you already have from other projects

This is a very scrappy little quilt, even the whites were resurrected from some other project.

It measures 22x22 inches. If you are a quilter (and care) it is just a simple half square triangle star with some sashing around it. I do love a good star. I decided to get creative in my quilting, because this is only the third quilt I have every quilted and I wanted to try something crazy, well crazy for me.

It is simple and small, but it makes me happy! I think tomorrow it is going to move to my office wall.

Third Quilt!

My List Accomplishments

Max has no goals, which I feel this picture demonstrates.

Remember my list?

Okay, you probably don't remember. When my husband left to work in Germany for 9 months I made myself a bucket list of sorts. The goal was to force myself to live my life to the fullest, even though I was alone. I have not been recording it very well, but I am making slow and steady list accomplishments! 

That hole was so easy to dig, just like a big shovel test. 

I planted a tree. Do not worry arborists, I planted this tree in the fall when it was appropriate (I know all of my readers were deeply concerned). Her name is Wanda and she is a Brown Turkey Fig tree. I did my research (there is a Brown Turkey Fig tree up the street) and I know it will grown in my climate. It should also produce this summer, if I can manage not to kill it. She is small, but cute!

Wanda in the ground

Turns out planting a tree is just like shovel testing, meaning, I just had to dig a hole and put the tree in it. But, now I have a tree!

I went trail running last Saturday. It was beautiful and rewarding. The sun was shining and we were having a freakishly warm day (I mean in the 70 degrees Fahrenheit range). I liked it. Driving to run seems a little silly to me, so this will be a sometimes treat. 

This is totally a posed picture, I did not bring my camera running silly!

Okay, I am saving the best for last! This is actually the reason I have been an itinerant blogger lately. I have been obsessed with quilting. 

I can not believe I turned this fabric...

 into a bunch of little squares,

which I sewed together and added applique circles.

Then I trimmed the fabric,

 and added a border.

 And attached to a batting, then tried to add a backing. It turns out the cat loves quilting. It is the MOST fun thing a cat can do to slide across the living room on fabric. Tunneling under fabric is pretty fun too.

Sewing machines are less fun, but make great human hunting blinds.

After some intense cat battles and some actually quilting, I got this! (full disclosure: it is not actually done, it still needs trimming and binding).

It is a beautiful and rewarding thing. There are tons of mistakes and little things that will bug me. But, I am a beginner. I have gained so much confidence in my sewing! The reason the binding is not finished is I had to start my second quilt (I do have a solid start on my binding and I will probably bring it when I have to go to Savannah at the end of the month). The next quilt is going to be a gift for someone and I am operating on a deadline.

Unfortunately, that person reads this blog. So, no pictures until after the deadline.

Back to sewing! Happy Sunday!

What month is it again? Oh right, Happy New Year!

It is January 1, 2012.

This was our Christmas card, which I sent out by email at 10:00 p.m. on Christmas Day. Epic fail. 

What?!

I am going to start this post by apologizing for missing December. I am not even sure December happened at normal speed.

I am not going to try and explain the crazy. I will make a list. I like lists.

1. I worked. A lot. Let's see I think I was only in Tennessee and Georgia this month. But, oh the deadlines.

2. I made Christmas happen. I believe the holidays should be special and this was our first real, grown-up, "at home" Christmas. I got a tree, made stockings and cookies, wrapped presents, wrote cards (well, some cards), played music, and sort of nested. It was wonderful. I also watched the entire "Fireplace for Your Home" episode at least four times (it is on Netflix, check it out).

I made these stockings. Including the embroidery. It was intense. But they sure do look good with Fireplace for Your Home. 

The best baby Christmas Tree. 

Potica. A Croatian Christmas bread. 

3. I started and (almost) finished my first quilt. It will not be my only quilt. This was a magical experience and I am totally hooked. I am going to write a real post about this, for now I just need to say this process appealed to me creatively and aesthetically.

My quilt top. Clearly, I really like flowers.

4. I have spent a great deal of time with my friends who have become my family here in North Carolina. Then Derek's mom and step dad came to visit for New Years and we got to see them too!

Hi Julie!

5. My true love came home for two weeks (which are actually not quite over yet). There have been many meals, laughs, couch cuddles, episodes of Parks and Recreation, and long cups of coffee. I will miss him a great deal when he returns to Germany to work on his research.

My true love with the skin of a salmon we cured. Doesn't he look so manly?

Cured Salmon.

For now, I will just say Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012. It is going to be a great year. I know it.

I am going to come back soon (I know, show it, don't just say it) to share some of my treasured moments from the past couple of weeks and talk about the food. Oh the food! I have a brussels sprouts recipe that will blow your mind, without ruining any newly created resolutions.

Much love to all.

This is the post where I talk about what I am thankful for

I was driving home from work today mentally preparing for my long weekend and, as I was decompressing from a stressful day of work, I started realizing that I am really happy. I am not saying I do not have bad days.

I am human.

Unlike him, and I am pretty sure even he has bad days.

Generally, I have a lot to be thankful for. Every once and a while it is nice to think about these things. Also, everyone else on the internet is thankful for things right now and I am a trend follower. I hear it is a national holiday or something.

In no particular order:

1. My Parents. They raised me right. I am lucky to have grown up in a stable house with two parents who love each other (I am not saying alternate ways of growing up are not valid and perfectly wonderful, this is just my life). They taught me, by example, what it means to live a good life. I knew what would make a good husband by looking at my Dad. Everyday, they were there for me. My parents were my drivers, coaches, and cheerleaders. They pushed me to succeed and were there to catch me when I failed. My parents were happy when I got my first B in high school, because they thought it would help me relax and enjoy school a little bit more. What great parents, what great people.

2. My Wonderful Husband. I love him crazy tons. He is my best friend. I know everyone says this about their significant other and it is probably why we all chose them as our partners... I can tell him everything. My life is better when he smiles. When I am sad, he works tirelessly to make my happy. Derek is gone this year and it has been one of the hardest of my (admittedly very cushy) life.

3. Roommate. I met Josephine as the result of a Craigslist search and she has made my life immeasurably better. I cannot imagine a better person to share my house this year while Derek is off doing research. She makes me laugh everyday. Today she left me a slice of chocolate cake. What a girl. I do not think either of us were looking for a friend this past August, but I think I found one.

4. Friends. I am so lucky to have my friends. I do not have family in North Carolina, but my friends have become my family. Last night John, Julie and I went to a local restaurant, sat outside, and listened to live Bluegrass. It occurred to me that there is no place else I would have rather been. How many times can you say that everyday, every week even? It was an evening that will be frozen in my memory for its beauty and camaraderie. I am never ever lonely. Tonight my friend Lindsay and I had a wonderful couple of beers at a local bar. On Sunday, Jenny and I took a cheese making class (more on that later).

What is Julie doing here? All I know is that John is laughing.

5. Job and Coworkers. I am so lucky to have a job that challenges me everyday. I am learning so much. There are things I easily do today that I did not know how to do last month. My confidence is also growing. I am so much more independent and self reliant than I was just a year ago. The people I work with make my job a daily joy. They make me laugh, cringe, and squeak in mock outrage. You name it (except it will be real outrage if you put balls on that truck, you know who you are).

6. Food and Farmers. I was making dinner tonight and it occurred to me that when I see my food I do not just see ingredients, I see farmers. This sounds so corny, but I can honestly tell you that only three ingredients in my dinner came from greater than 50 miles away (chile powder from New Mexico, salt from the ocean somewhere, and parmesan cheese from Italy). For the record, I had roasted potatoes with sautéed cauliflower, topped with homemade paneer (with local milk), and home cured bacon (local pork). I am so grateful for the people who get up everyday and milk the cows, graze the animals, and tend the fields. You are heroes to me. Your food nourishes me and makes cooking dinner something to look forward to everyday.

Who is that shopping? She looks good.

7. Kitten. He greets me at the door everyday when I get home from work. He is my little spoon at night time. He is my constant, my lovable fuzz.

He really sleeps like this.

8. Anyone Who is Reading This. Thanks for reading my random thoughts. Writing them is fun, having someone else to read them makes me feel really special. You are my friend (even if we have never met). 

9. The Universe, the World, my Backyard. I know this sounds awfully corny, but I am so thankful to live on our beautiful, perfectly flawed earth. I believe this is a pretty big miracle because of all of the millennium of evolution and all of the happy accidents that created the environment in which I am happy and thankful in right now.

Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving! I wish you all gluttony, good friends and family, and good day!

Corn Maze!

Hello loyal readers!

I have had a crazy October. Allow me to list the states I have worked in this month: Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina (x2), Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland. Oh yeah, I also went to a conference in New York State. I think I have been home for a week. Not that I am complaining. I have gotten to work on cemeteries, in the city, in the country, and at both prehistoric and historic sites.

I have been a little sleep deprived and my kitten hates me, well, he will get over it and I will catch up at some point. I will won't I? Right?

Before I left for my epic journey, I gathered up some of my dear friends and went a corn mazing!

After a thorough internet search I selected McKee's corn maze outside of Hillsboro.

None of us had ever done this corn maze thing. Here we are at the beginning, ready to head off a journeying..

First we had to go on a tractor ride, hehe!

When we started, we were each given a ticket. In the maze there were stations where we could punch the ticket. The goal was not just to get out, but to complete your ticket. The record was apparently about an hour and a half. 1.5 hours, for truth. This is a grown-up maze.

They have a maze for babies too. Remember the good old days, when life was so much simpler?

We felt we could handle the whole twelve acres. We came in with a plan, in retrospect we probably over thought the maze concept. We also did not account for the randomness of the whole punch stations. It turns out that only turning one direction really will only get you to the exit, not the punch stations.

Julie looks a-mazing (sorry, had to do it).

We got through the whole maze in about 20 minutes! Whoopee! Except, we only had 3 punches. Then, we turned around and started looking for punch stations.

Josephine is so jaunty looking in this picture.

At this point, things started getting frustrating. We were retracing our steps and sending out scouting parties (no joke). When we found a punch station we would get all excited! Energy renewed!

Then the sun started going down. We started getting hungry. Who knew you should pack food and water for a corn maze?

I wish I could tell you we persevered and finished the maze. We has to stop. It was time to eat.

I was feeling a little bad about this until I saw all of the other tickets. Most people gave up after 3 or 4 punches. Wusses!

This was totally a value, about 3 hours of entertainment for only $8.

Success?

Somehow wandering amongst the corn stalks managed to feel both wholesome and creepy. It seems like a lot of scary movies involve corn fields. Farms seem so wholesome though.

List item checked off for the win!

The Carrboro Music Festival

Have I ever talked about how much I love my town? The town of Carrboro was established in 1911 and today the population is about 16,700 people. People talk to each other. There are lots of public spaces that are always full of people living together. We have two bike shops and three coffee shops (possibly more). Sidewalks are full of people walking. It is actually kind of hard for me to describe the way people in this town have managed to create a beautiful, walkable community full of babies, dogs, bikes, the young, and the old. You will just have to visit.


Once a year the town closes down and all of downtown turns into a stage.

180 bands play on every street corner. Some on real stages.
Some in parking lots.
Or in front of stores.

Or in the farmers market town square. That is where I buy my vegetables!

And at restaurants.

The music ranges from country, blue grass, rock, pop, soul, Latin, and everything in between. Every band had an audience and there were almost always people dancing. The best part it that the whole thing is free. It starts at 1 pm and goes until almost midnight.

We went downtown and got some milk shakes. Then walked around to listen to the bands, it was beautiful outside. It was wonderful to wander from stage to stage and watch the town party together.

I think we heard five languages being spoken. This is quite a town. The police officers were directing traffic with a smile. We were even encouraged to jay walk. By a cop. In Denver, she would have given us a ticket. In Carrboro, she laughed and told us to hurry up and have a good day.

The road became a canvas.

There were toys for the children. What does this look like to you?

Never mind. Don't answer that.

The town was full of children. Dancing children, climbing children, it was a family affair.

Events like this make me reflect on how lucky I am to live in such a community. It makes me think that despite our differences, our similarities are really more remarkable. With just an ounce of acceptance and a little bit of music, life is pretty good.

Sorry this post is so cheesy. This is really how I feel, sometimes walking around town causes me to burst into a spontaneous monologue about how wonderful it all is. True story, I am just a cheese ball at heart.