we made it

my parents' backyard the morning after Irene

We managed to make it through Irene without any major flooding or tree damage. Our power came back on Monday night and I finally finished my work project yesterday (at least this phase) – so I'm riding on cloud nine right now.

As mentioned in the previous post, I fully prepared myself to have NO electricity throughout the hurricane, so I evacuated with very little entertainment for myself except a novel and my mandolin, which I can't tune to save my life. It seemed like a good idea at the time...in theory.

The reality included binging on moon pies & rice krispie treats and watching hours of mindless television, for fear the power would go out and we wouldn't have access to TV news for days. Bored by the news footage showing spiderman at the beach (true story), we progressed to watching mind-numbing chick flicks like "The Proposal" and "Made of Honor." Lawd. Anyone who knows me knows this is completely out of character. I hate how they're so predictable, but admittedly, I enjoyed every terrible second.

The whole family started suffering from a bad case of cabin fever. Again, preparing for the lights to go out, Avery and I made shadow puppets and tested them out in the closet (fun!). And at some point, Avery found a roll of tape which he applied to everything in sight, including us (not so fun!).



We woke up the next morning only to find a few large branches in the yard and a mess of leaves. Avery was particularly disappointed to find his elephant ears blown to bits and did what he could to "fix" the situation.





He was also particularly alarmed about the asymmetry of the mailbox planters. I guess we can figure out which way the wind blew.



So, not exactly a waste of a weekend because family time is always appreciated, but we're definitely looking forward to the approaching 3 Labor Day weekend. I might actually get to see the husband, though he's not going to appreciate the list of chores we need to tackle.

Did you guys have any damage?

all is well...almost

Just popping in to let you guys know our house survived the storm, but we still don't have electricity (typing this on my lunch break at work). Boo!

A very long couple of days. Shadow puppets, moon pies, and applying scotch tape to our faces for entertainment purposes. We never lost power in Virginia Beach at my folks' house, but we did lose our minds.

And I still haven't seen my husband, who has been working at the news station non-stop.

that's great, it starts with an earthquake

Hopefully it's not the end of the world as we know it, but natural disasters have been a trend recently around these parts. We've been inhaling forest fire for weeks (yesterday was horrendous), then an earthquake and now a hurricane. FYI: Avery told me last night a volcano was coming, too.

After quickly finishing up some deadlines at work, I'll cover my computer in plastic...you know, just in case the roof caves in. The hard worker in me is concerned about not finishing a huge campaign (or worse - losing it) I'm working on, but the other side is telling me "not important." Knowing we probably won't have power for the next week, I've considered making some marker comps just in case I need to present. I can just imagine pitching by candlelight...but who am I kidding, if it's as bad as they're predicting, advertising will be the least of anyone's concerns.

Our home is under mandatory evacuation, so after we finish stuffing a ton of playground equipment into our teeny tiny garage and moving everything important to higher levels in our house, Ave and I are heading to Virginia Beach to rough out the storm with my parents. The husband, who works at a local TV news/weather station, is required to report to work on Saturday at 6pm to pull an all-nighter (or longer-depending on the flooding) so they'll be able to provide their viewers with breaking news. Breaking news will probably include sharing cell phone pics of fallen trees sent by viewers. Very important, I tell you. I'm not happy about this situation, as the two-story studio is located on the water in a very low lying area, but Bobby feels its his duty.

So, Mr. Management at Corporate headquarters in faraway Texas, if my dear husband risks his life for your news program and doesn't get a sizable promotion this year, I will hunt you down and throw you into a hurricane of hate.

Phew - got that off my back.

My dear VA friends, please be safe and prepare accordingly. I was so close to packing up the boy last night and driving west to locations unknown, but since everyone I know is sticking around, I can't bare the thought of worrying about my friends and family from afar. Especially to my friends in Norfolk, if you feel unsafe, come stay with me at my parents' house. I have a case of Blue Moon and my dad has a banjo. Packing my mandolin too because I can't think of a better time to get reacquainted with it, ya know?

Take care, friends!

little bits of awesome: dress up!

Invasion of robot Julie.



Bedlam.

project complete

I was ready to finish the triangle quilt and move on to another project, so a sudden change of heart prompted me to machine bound the quilt over the weekend. And I'm so glad I did since hand binding usually takes me weeks. Phew!



The quilt was originally designed to fit Avery's toddler bed, and since he's still happily using his crib without complaint, I needed to find another use in the interim.



So in the meantime, a chair cover it will become to add a punch of color in that drab corner of our living room.



The posts are going to be light this week, as I'm working under a tight deadline at work (early mornings and late nights). Next week, I hope to share all the numerous mistakes I made while making the quilt. Being a self-taught quilter, this is the way I learn best.

little bits of awesome: baby berry bearcakes



A little morning lift inspired by this pin.

a progress report: the triangle quilt


Weekend child care allowed some extra time for working on the quilt. And I'm happy to say, the quilting is complete. Thank goodness - it was painful!



All that is left is the binding. I'm excited to throw it in the washer and fluff it up a bit because the quilting has flattened it to a pancake.

a weekend of celebration

We celebrated my mom's sixty-fourth birthday...

...and our sixth year of wedded bliss.

Ave spent the night at his grandparents' house so we could enjoy a formal date. As cliche as it sounds, I really enjoy nothing more than dinner and a movie now. The movie must come before dinner though, as I don't like to be rushed, and the buzz from a fantastic film can make the dinner discussion more exciting.

I'm so thankful I met a man who, without complaints, will sit by my side watching a documentary at the Naro Cinema. I've been looking forward to seeing "Bill Cunningham New York" for some time and it was better than I ever imagined. Such a passionate man...I can only hope to be half as lively as him when I grow old.

After the film, we ran through the rain to catch a bite at Luna Maya. Best drinks and desserts around. Nothing makes me happier than a fantastic documentary followed by a tall mojito and some flan.

With Ave out for the night, we were able to sleep in for the first time in months. Of course, I woke at 7 am and lay in bed thinking about work until 8. So not fair.

But sipping coffee and sewing while watching the CBS Sunday Morning show is my ideal way of relaxing on the weekend and that I was able to do in peace.


We picked up Ave and headed over to my parents' house for hotdogs and cake.
And a little practice on the ol' trike.

Oh, and yes, I am determined to make painted toe nails widely acceptable for little boys. Come on y'all, let's start a trend...

No one can say blue stripes aren't masculine, right?

devil sticks

(I may have had better luck teaching him algebra)

Cleaning out my childhood room recently, I came upon two sets of devil sticks. Watching my every move, Avery quickly barged in and grabbed one of the batons and started twirling it wildly like a majorette (or in his case, Olivia the pig). I immediately stuffed them in my bag to take home. I have found my pupil, hahahaha.

In my friends' minds, devil sticks conjure up the image of a socially awkward freshman in college. Just by saying the words = instant uproarious laughter. Um, yes...admittedly the laughter is at my expense. I was painfully shy and in an attempt to get out of my dorm room and make friends, I learned to juggle devil sticks. And besides, I needed a new hobby as my solo games of jenga were starting to get boring.

I practiced for hours in my cramped dorm room and finally gained the nerve to venture into the quad under the canopy of the large oak tree for all to see. A few solo shows but no luck. Not even a side glance, much less anyone else joining in.

I mean, I could have just tried saying "hello" to someone. But, noooooo. For some reason, I thought performing tricks in public would prove to be a better option.

The majority of my fellow students, at the small university I attended in the mountains of Virginia, were busy pledging to some sorority or another. I recall watching a newly made friend carefully use purple puff paint to write the initials of her "sister" on some plexiglass photo cube and that tainted impression was all I needed to never consider pledging as a way to make friends.

And those were the days before social media and when no one had a computer in their room. I remember one girl – obsessed with chat rooms – who's muffled giggles would pierce the silence in the computer lab. Gawd, I thought - what a dork. But in retrospect, at least she was talking to someone.

My other failed attempts at socialization included tagging along with hall mates to raucous frat parties (so not my scene!) and attending a concert in our school's gymnasium. You guys, I sat on the bleachers in the dark and watched George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic ALL ALONE!

My friend Suzy recalls seeing me walk around campus, shuffling along in my birkenstocks and carrying my guatemalan backpack with three sticks peeking out. I foolishly thought, just by carrying these sticks around with me, like wands they would magically attract other members of my imagined social misfit tribe. I wanted to be her friend so badly, but I averted her gaze every time our paths would cross. (As an aside, we finally met a year later at a Denny's in North Carolina - weird, right?)

Yeah, it's sad. Being shy really sucked (now I'm just quiet in social situations). But having very few friends my freshman year made me stronger by forcing me to accept the silence and enthusiastically participate in events by myself unashamed. It taught me to connect with people, regardless of their views or interests. Surrounding yourself with only like-minded people can be so limiting.

But I'm still going to teach the little guy a few tricks on the ol' devil sticks because they are mighty fun. We might even practice in a public park...and if you see us, just keep on walking. He doesn't need that kind of attention.

little bits of awesome: learning the ABC's

seashells by the seashore



A popular activity during last summer's "Mamas retreat" in Chincoteague was collecting seashells. A few of the girls and I walked for what seemed like miles in search of an intact conch. As far as the conch was concerned, we came back empty-handed but still had our arms loaded with other beautiful shells to remember the trip.

So what would be the perfect keepsake for my guests the second time around?



A little drawstring bag to contain their newly found collection.



I designed the graphic complete with my own little symbolic illustrations representing what the island has to offer: the Assateague lighthouse, ponies, egrets, seashells, the carnival, the infamous Pony Express trolley, fishing boats, and the old drawbridge which has since been torn down.



And the year on the bottom as a little reminder, of course.

I sized the graphic, including seam allowance and the back panel, and repeated the pattern to fill two yards of fabric. So, when the fabric arrived, all I had to do was slice a few lines with my rotary blade to give me the pieces to just simply fold over and sew up the side. Printing was done through Spoonflower on the quilting weight cotton. The orange suede string was found at Michael's (a wee bit too rough for a smooth drawstring gathering so I don't recommend).

The downside: the colors came out lighter than anticipated, so the pale faux bois texture in the background didn't show up (digital graphic below). If I hadn't rushed the project, I would have ordered a sample first to test the colors. But oh well, lesson learned.

summertime bloom

the perfect summer snack
(and proof I ate the cucumbers, Mom)

Having spent the last three weekends out of town, these lazy past two days have been a welcomed departure. Though, with all the fun time away, our yard had been neglected, our home had fallen into a disorganized mess, and the pantry was empty.

We all puttered around the house, with Bobby and I taking turns mowing grass and cleaning. I found the energy to brave the humidity and pull the weeds that had overtaken our once thriving flower beds. Alas, I barely had to bend over. Creating all those flower beds around our house seemed like such a fabulous idea when it was just the two of us.



Ave happily hung around the house, too. We normally fill his time with trips to the playground, zoo, library and other little trips, but we consciously decided to stick around to see what Ave would do with his free time...

...Fly a spaceship in his bedroom. Teach swimming lessons to his stuffed animals and me (complete with putting on his swim suit first). Dress up like a dinosaur and parade around the yard. Take the hallway elevator to the...moon?

Ave's imagination has begun to blossom. His fantasies are complete with constant chattering and hand gestures. He'll quickly become any animal by zipping up his imaginary suit and even closing the top button. In his mind, he has completely transformed.



Ave's magic "elevator" is located in the small hallway between bedrooms. He'll pretend to punch the buttons, wait for the doors to open, and will step in and wait until it stops moving. Then he'll spread the doors apart with his hands (the doors are apparently tricky and have the tendency to get stuck) and step out again.

He never mentions where he's going, but all I ask is that he takes me with him.

let's just call it "memorable"



Sunday afternoon, after all my guests had left for the long ride home, I asked myself, "how am I going to blog about this?"

Hmph. Rainbows and butterflies - that's the making of a good blog read, right? Shall we just skip this entry and move onto a DIY project? But alas, though the highly anticipated Ladies Retreat Weekend in Chincoteague ended in tears and broken expectations, there were good times along the way. We'll just try to forget Saturday night ever happened.

Let's just remember the good times, okay? Like...


Discovering Payne's Treasure Chest and talking to a woman who claims to receive messages from sea horses in her dreams. Her "store," where not everything was for sale and nothing had a price tag, there were handmade video cameras and machine guns made of cardboard. Vignettes of broken toy pianos, 1950s coloring books and stuffed horses wearing sunglasses that can't be replicated. She wanted to barter for my moccasins, but I refused to walk out with bare feet. In retrospect, I could have suffered a few blisters for her 3ft blue owl lamp.


Leisurely exploring the thrift stores along Route 13. That album cover makes me soooo happy.


Getting up early, hitting the beach and basking in the sun, only made tolerable by the cool ocean breeze.


Collecting shells...


...which make the perfect souvenir from a beach vacation (more on that later).


Watching the wild pony herd still fatigued from the recent swim back to Assateague.


Having lunch at our favorite sandwich spot. Why can't we have a place like this at home?


Sipping margaritas, dining on fresh seafood while watching the sunset, and...


...celebrating friendship.

But this is the point where we stop. In my mind, I'll pretend we all went home after dinner and went to bed, so we could arise early, have coffee, and exchange hugs before setting out on our separate trips back home. Rainbows and butterflies, my friends.