cha-cha does the can-can

Completions

2017-05-14T15:02:00.001-07:00

We've reached a few milestones here. First, the interior of the Bellevue house is finally complete. The outside of the house, well, I'll let the following video speak for that. Dennis is really happy with everything he's done on the inside, and excited about the plans for the landscape.

I finally completed Dennis' Machrihanish Fair Isle vest. I'm as equally as pleased with my accomplishment as Dennis is with his. Although mine doesn't hold a candle to his project! But after a year of knitting that thing, and worrying about the size as well as cutting the steeks, I have to say, It looked and fit pretty darn good. Win!

On another crafty note, I've been turning out the needlepoint projects rather quickly. I now have 2 pieces out for finishing (cha-ching!) and several others in the works. I decided to paint a picture of Jack on a canvas, and I must say, it's a pretty good likeness! That will be a lenghty project, but a fun one.

I also cast on the Naima sweater for myself. There's only one way to describe that pattern - shit show. Wow, talk about lost in translation. If English isn't your first language, don't even try to convert a German pattern into English. Although it has been a struggle, it's turning out ok. My count is off a bit, and I have no idea why, but I'm crossing my fingers that I can do some fudging.

Where Do I Begin?

2017-01-01T13:35:00.001-08:00

Appropriately, I should begin with happy 2017! Time has flown by this year, as it does every year. My wish for 2017 is for a slow down in time and place - I suppose that's a near impossible tall order. Since my last post in May, I have been balls-out busy with work, and Denny with the house renovations. The house renovation is still progressing with the interior nearing completion. That's still the main story of our lives, with a few new things since my last post in May. Here are the before pictures of the house, you can see the progress! The other big news is the new addition to our family. We have made room in our busy lives for a new dog - Jack. Jack is a constant reminder of what living with a toddler was like. We lovingly refer to him as Jackass, Jack-a-lope, Jackhole, and Impy. He is full of piss and vinegar, but incredibly loving and sweet. Life will never be the same. Jack came to us, believe it or not, via Facebook. I had been following a Jack Russell breeder in Kansas for quite sometime, with a dim thought of buying a JR from her. In September she posted a picture of little Jack on her Facebook page, with the hope of rehoming him through her follwers. Jack had originally been from one of her litters 2 years previous to his return to her. He came back to the breeder because his owner died very suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 54. His owner asked the breeder to take him until she was able to leave the hospital and return home - that never happened. Through many emails back and forth, and other people in the mix to adopt, the breeder said she would like for us to have him. It has been an adventure ever since. We love him, and although his antics can be annoying, we find him to be a constant source of entertainment... My sister, her family, and my mom made a whirlwind stop this summer while trekking across the country to their new home in Utah. That was fun, but too short. Even though they were only here for a little longer than 24 hours, we crammed in some good times. A trip to the Henry Dorley zoo, and my back yard zoo kept everyone very entertained. I didn't make my usual trip to Minnesota this year. Time and money held me back, so here's hoping for more of both this year. *insert laughing here* I will definitely plan something, but not sure what that will be. No getaway this year really made me unbearably grumpy. I tried to capture that last few months in pictures. As you can tell, I've had many projects. I scored a new vintage sewing machine at an auction for $5. Nobody bid on it because it was locked in a wooden beehive case that didn't have a key.I brought it home with only a mild hope for a decent machine. After researching how to open the case, I found a near cherry machine inside. It's a treasure. Also included are pictures I took at a friend's family farm in St. Edward, Nebraska - a very cool place! I could have spent days wandering around taking pictures... The pictures are a mish-mash of the past 6 months. Somewhere in the mix are the traditional pictures that Denny and I take every NYE. Nothing changes, and for that I'm grateful. Here's to more life in 2017! Happy, happy new year!

Bam!

2016-05-01T16:43:00.001-07:00

I got this quilt back last week from Mangelsens; they quilted the top with a star pattern, which I thought would be perfect from an old military dude. I used a red ombré fabric for the binding, and tonight I added the finishing "made by" patch. Tomorrow it gets mailed. A wee bit late for my dad's birthday, but he'll love it. I hope.

The Past Few Weeks

2016-04-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin? The last few weeks have been jam packed with stuff. I should begin with the PBR. For my birthday, Denny bought tickets for us to attend the Professional Bull Riding event at the Qwest center. It's something that has been on my bucket list for a while. I rustled up a plaid shirt, a pair of jeans, and my favorite cowboy boots for the big show. I hoped to god I didn't look like a geeked-out newbie. Thankfully, I didn't. I loved the whole show. I'm fascinated with anyone who would get on such a huge animal and risk getting stomped on. Even if they don't get romped on, the long term effects of all that whip-lashing can't be good. All that stuff aside, we had a blast.**Note: two guys did get stomped, and one was carried out unconscious.Bummer.

Before the show I spent the day checking out garage sales. Thanks to a friend who tipped me off about a fab garage sale not far from here, I scored a 1948 Franklin sewing machine. Franklin's were produced by Kenmore. This gem has the coolest wooden carrying case, and the best thing about this machine? It's perfect! Not a scratch, and not even a shred of "thread fuzz" on it. I honestly don't think this machine was ever used. The case is in perfect tack as well. Did I mention it works, too? A total score for $20. Dennis asked me what my plans are for it. I think I'll just stare at it for a while....

The day after the PBR I volunteered for the Color Vibe run downtown. Some of the proceeds will benefit my office. I thought parking would be a nightmare, so what did I do to avoid it? I ran from my house to downtown, then walked back. Ten plus miles. I think next year I'll drive, as traffic was practically nil. I had fun on my trek, I must say. It's funny the things you notice when you are walking or running.

My latest sewing project is a baby quilt. I've been eyeballing this pattern for a while. It is quite a fiddly pattern, with more itty bitty pieces than I care to discuss, but really, it is so worth the effort. I like it so much I might make another for myself!

Work took me to Hooper, NE on Wednesday. I would love to take over the office for the rural counties. I don't know what it is about those small towns, but I love them. They are fun to explore, and historically they are fascinating. I would have liked to wander around the two blocks of the downtown, but crappy weather was predicted, so I blew outta there when I finished my presentation. I love that job, there are no words to describe it. It's fun, interesting, and different everyday.

Here are some pics to correspond with the past few weeks.

In a bush just off to the left, there was a black, lacey bra swinging in the wind. And no, it was not mine. These bottles were cool as hell though. I'm sure these are souvenirs of many a drunken night.

This is my Fancy Forest baby quilt. I just so happen to think this will be a treasure of a gift.

Newbie

2016-04-16T06:07:00.001-07:00

So this little baby came to live with me on Wednesday. She's a Lavender Orpinton, and is she ever sweet. She'll be living in my makeshift brooder until she gets all her feathers. I found out early on that my brooder wasn't escape proof, which almost made her a Scooby snack for Cha cha. Oy!

The Weekend

2016-04-10T13:16:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again when I make the annual Lemon Curd Fruit tart for Denny's birthday. I figured since I would be in the kitchen all day away, why not bust out some bread? King Arthur Flour posts the best recipes, and they are all very,very good. I don't think I've ever had a KAF fail. Thursday they posted a cheese brioche bread recipe, so I'm giving it a whirl. It's a two day process, so I unfortunately extended my one day in the kitchen to two. Poop.

Happy birthday, Dennis!

The Perfect Day

2016-04-03T14:40:00.001-07:00

I took advantage of this gorgeous day to be outside. I spent the morning working on Julie's quilt and decided to hang it on the clothesline for a picture. I really like the way it has turned out, I especially like the wacky, patchy, scrappy color scheme. I hope she likes it. I'm on the fence about the border color, my gut tells me white. I need to give it a little more thought.

I then decided to do a little yard clean-up. So I spiffed up the coop, and took down another tarp. I'm leaving the south side and top tarp on. The top tarp will do a good job of keeping the rain out of the run, and until I plant giant sunflowers on the south side, I'm leaving that tarp up. The south side gets so much sun, I thought it best to leave it up for some shade.

I also cleaned up the back door path. It was so mulch-covered from the chickens kicking it out of the flowerbeds you couldn't even see the flagstone. It is futile trying to keep up the them.

Denny is enjoying his trip to Atlanta. There is a big wing-ding barbecue at my brother's this afternoon, so that should be fun. And I'm seriously thinking of having popcorn for dinner!

Ta-dahhh!

2016-03-30T19:10:00.001-07:00

I put a fork in this tonight, just in time to travel with Denny this weekend to Atlanta. He's off to the practice rounds of the Masters, he's more than excited. This quilt is a surprise gift to my Aunt, I hope she likes it.I still have two more gift quilts in the works, as well as one for myself that needs a binding. I'm digging this quilting business more than I thought I would, and my trusty Featherweight is a dream to sew with. In other news, Denny fired up the rusty turd he bought at the end of summer last year, oh, how I missed the sweet, sweet smell of rusty turd exhaust. Try to overlook the "Sanford & Son" porch we have going on, it's more than unsightly, and in definite need of a facelift. Ugh. But hey, why have a pretty deck when the only thing on it are a bunch of crappy motorcycles? And finally, my little bantam hen, who spent a month being broody, and another 2 weeks recovering from her bad case of the "broodies," finally laid an egg. A broody hen acts like they are possessed by the devil, I hope I don't encounter that ever again.

Flutterby

2016-03-26T20:49:00.001-07:00

My latest quilt project is Flutterby, by Jen Kingwell. This is also a gift, and when this is done, no more. From here on out it's potholders and pin cushions people. The business of quilt making and giving is a little too costly. I still haven't finished the Granville shirt for myself. *Sigh*

I still need to perfect my points. Some of them look pretty good, and others just suck. I'm not sure where I go wrong. My seams are 1/4", and my cutting is accurate. I did plenty of sewing and ripping on this block, and still the points look crappy.

So Close

2016-03-19T20:07:00.001-07:00

I'm within 12" of finishing this quilt. Due to a mathematical error, I will be purchasing another bit of the newsprint fabric tomorrow. Argh! I tried piecing a few bits of scrap together, but that looked utterly ridiculous, mainly because the fabric is directional. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, hopefully his highness will appreciate my effort.

On a weather related note: today sucked. It was cold, with periodic blasts of snowfall. Typical I suppose, but a total drag nonetheless.

Dump Update

2016-03-13T18:01:00.001-07:00

So, I worked all day at "the dump." Dennis asked if I would schlep over a bag of corn for the deer, which I did, but I ended up staying all day. I unearthed a brick patio that I refer to as, "the grotto." The bricks were buried under 6 inches of dirt and leaves. I also scooped out the outdoor oven, which will be very cool when restored. We filled 25 bags of leaves and debris, and man am I tired...

Here are a few pics.

The Quilting Frenzy Continues

2016-03-01T05:48:00.001-08:00

I finally finished the scrappy border for my aunt's quilt, so all I have left is to add another border. I haven't photographed the top with all four scrappy borders, but trust me, it's pretty cute. Paper piecing is a fiddly mutha, let me tell you....

I'm making the border white, with the hope that it will "match" something in her house. I started a lap quilt for my dad. I bought The Gypsy Wife pattern book a few weeks ago, so I'm using one of the block patterns in it for my dad's quilt-practice for when I make the quilt for myself. I love the pattern the little fish give this block-quirky without being cheesy. I hope he likes it.

Scrappy Quilt with a Scrappy Border

2016-02-21T19:43:00.001-08:00

Only 3 remaining borders left to do. What a fiddly, pain in the ass, but completely worth it. I even love the pile of trimmed bits.

Yet Another Scrappy Quilt

2016-02-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

I've finished up phase II of another scrappy quilt. I'm working on a scrappy border to match the center. Now I know why I saved all those miniscule bits of fabric! Oy, this could take a while....

Out With the Old and In With the New

2016-02-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

I submitted my last essay on Wednesday, and tomorrow I should finish up the remainder of my last class. I didn't exactly accomplish what I originally set out to do, but I'm okay with that. I ended up with two, dip-shit, degrees. Woot.The last 4 1/2 years have been pretty miserable for me. I never wanted to go to college, and when I got there I realized why. However, I can't say it was all bad. I met some of the most fantastic people along the way, fellow classmates and instructors that were nothing short of wonderful. Today I started the conversion of former "prison cell" back to its original "creative zone." I'm not quite there yet, but it is a bit tidier than it was before. I missed my old life, but I'm back now, never to return to the past....

Precious graphing calculator, you got me through more than you'll ever know. Thank you, friend.

Just a teeny bit of what I threw out today. Old papers from comp class, and spiral after spiral of math assignments. Oy! Makes me shudder a bit. The last years of my life, piled into a trash bag. As my idol, Karl Pilkington, would say, "what's the point?"

I wouldn't be me if I didn't truly express how I felt. #lastessay.

The perfect spot, with a perfect view.

#freespirit

It's still a work in progress.

Quilts, Quilts, Quilts

2016-02-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast I can turn out a quilt. Unlike knitting, where it can takes months, and in some cases, years to complete a project. Saturday I bought a few fat quarters to begin a lap quilt for my dad.I have something in mind for him that I think he will like. You never know with him, he might totally not appreciate a lap quilt.You'll want to stay tuned for that reaction! The Moda quilt is in for quilting this week, so rest assured I will post pictures when I get it back. I'm kind of excited to see how it turns out.I have several birthdays coming up, so guess what everyone is getting? At this rate I could potentially make every family member a quilt for next Christmas! In between quilting, I'm working on a shirt project using a Sewaholic pattern. This will be the first time I've sewn any of her garments. Glancing at the pattern, it looks like any other sewing pattern, but for whatever reason, she gets rave reviews. I'm making a practice shirt before I cut into my Liberty of London fabric. I've never made a practice piece before this etiher, but for what LOL cost, I better make darn sure I know what I'm doing before I start cutting. Dennis has been making steady progress on the dump, here are a few pictures of the completed bathroom. I think floor sanding is next on the agenda.

Moda Frivols Quilt

2016-02-13T17:06:00.001-08:00

I made some dumb ass mistakes with this quilt top. Naturally, I only discovered them after I sewed on the last border. I decided the screw-up didn't warrant taking the whole dang thing apart. I still like it aside from the errors. I think my next project won't be so tedious.

A Little JR Taunting & Bathroom Renovation Progress

2016-02-07T14:15:00.001-08:00

It was about a 45 second emotional roller coaster for the JR - poor thing. On a completely different note, Denny is about to start grouting the bathroom. There was a bit of a snafu with cutting the corner trim tiles at a 45 degree angle, so he ordered a couple of replacements. If he had contracted out this little project, it would probably be a $10K price tag, Dennis did this at a fraction of the price, and it looks darn good!Last night I went to an art opening. It was a 10 year life drawing retrospective. It was so good to see some of my old friends, and to see some great work. Good stuff. *The painting below is by Ardith Staroska

#Snowmaha

2016-02-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

So, the blizzard of 2016 was kind of a dud. I scurried around all weekend, prepping for what everyone thought would be the mother of all blizzards. I HAD to go to work the day it hit, only because they were making people take a day of vacation if they stayed home. Well, that's fine and dandy for those who actually have vacation, but for myself and my co-worker that haven't accrued vacation, we would have to take a day without pay. Ugh. So, I got up early, took care of the chickens, and headed out. It really wasn't that bad, but evidently the rest of the building thought better about braving the elements. It was a pretty quiet day. Here is my week in pictures, and a few videos.

Blankety Love

2016-01-27T16:03:00.004-08:00

No sharin' here. The first to claim holds all rights!

Featherweight Handiwork

2016-01-24T15:41:00.001-08:00

I made a couple of quilts with my vintage Singer Featherweight sewing machine. It was was best gift -ever! I love that thing. I'm sending the white-ish one to my mom for her birthday, and I'm sending the other to my nephews.

The Dump

2016-01-10T19:19:00.001-08:00

After going through my camera roll, I realized I had quite a few progress pictures of the house. I can assure you, none of the is at all riveting, but I'm gonna post anyway.

This is what I call the "gang plank," when lowered it spans across the basement stairs and allows access to a pantry.

Happy New Year and a Few Other Tid-Bits

2016-01-10T18:47:00.001-08:00

Welp, the new year started out as it has for the last few years-uneventful. We both like it that way-I guess we're officially fuddy-duddies.

Dennis has been busy working on the dump. He enlarged a doorway between the kitchen and an adjoining room. It was originally a bedroom, but it seemed very awkward sitting right off the kitchen. We think it would make a fantastic sitting room. Today he finished installing a fantastic marble floor in the bathroom-it's beyond pretty. I'll include some before/after pictures of that.

The chickens are producing eggs like mad. Even Uggi, who was traumatized after the hawk killed Queenie, has begun laying again. I may not have mentioned that my beloved Queenie was killed. It was a pretty sad and unpleasant event here. The girls can't roam free anymore unless I'm out with them. I can't go through that trauma again. The weather here has been brutally cold (-25 with the wind chill last night), so I've had to be extra vigilant to protect them. I've been applying Vaseline to their combs and waddles a couple times a day, and I installed 2-75 watt shop lights that give off just enough warmth to help them stay warm. I've resisted the urge to add a heat lamp, as they are insanely dangerous. They've proved to be a hardy bunch of hens!

I must mention my most exciting news. Denny gave me a Singer Featherweight for Christmas. To say I'm over the moon is an understatement. I've already busted out a couple of quilts since Christmas. I've been having the absolute best time with that machine. It sews beautifully-better than my Bernina! I'm waiting for 3 Sewaholic patterns to arrive. My next project is to make a Liberty of London shirt. You can be sure I'll be posting that project!

Surprise Snow

2015-12-24T15:53:00.000-08:00

Sooo, the dickhead forecasters could not have been more off the mark. What was predicted to be a dusting, to maybe 1", turned into 6-ish inches of snow. It might even more than that, but whatever, it's a lot of freaking snow. I only narrowly missed t-boning 4 cars at a busy intersection today, but thanks to my cat like reflexes, and fast thinking, I managed to steer my sliding car onto a side street. Ugh. I worked only a half day today, and made it home in one piece. I thought the chickens would be a bit curious about the white stuff and eager to kick and scratch at it, but nope, they were not interested, nor were they amused. In fact, they were skittish and squwaky with every bit of snow that fell off the tree branches from above the coop. I guess big stuff falling from the sky reminds them of a hawk. Merry Christmas!

Just Enough Time To Slam a Few Pictures Up

2015-12-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

Welp, I'm back in school. The up-side of that news is, I'm never setting foot in a classroom after this class. I've decided there is no point in trying to complete the paralegal degree when I have no desire to be a paralegal. Reading case law, and writing case briefs and legal memorandums sounded like it would be gobs of fun - said no one ever. I am 6 weeks into my new job and loving every minute of it. Why trade that for a stuffy law office? Speaking of gobs of fun, I gave my notice at my part-time job - adios, suck-ass retail! I hope those days are in my rear view mirror - forever! December 21st I will be FREE! Here are some pictures for your viewing enjoyment, or not.

Struttin' her stuff. Werk it gurl!

The ladies enjoying some very unseasonably warm weather.

Thanksgiving delights, even though Thanksgiving was postponed due to shitty weather.

I have no idea why I put star sprinkles on this cake. I'll have to remember to do this when the 4th of July rolls around.

Cheers crackers- the fucking bomb!

My 3rd pair of Fiddleheads!!i I never get sick of this pattern- no siree.

The nose knows.

At "the dump." Cha-cha makes everything better....