We're heading for the coast for a rainy weekend getaway! Our friend Sarah reserved a house for the Newport Seafood etc. fest that's happening all weekend. It should be crazy and fun. I'm bringing my Book Club book, and my first crack at embroidery for the Tie One On challenge. We'll see how much gets done, but I'd love to do a little relaxing and a little crazy/fun time.

This morning a friend directed me to the Portland Mamas Inc. page where I found some great local biz.s to bookmark for the future. This one caught my eye first: Sew, Mama, Sew ...Always a sucker for fabric.
And I finished my first trim box a la All Buttoned Up. I graduated (I think)! Everything looks great except there's a little extra loose fabric on the inside. Hmm. I'm gonna try tacking it down. On to media boxes, desk organizer boxes, and button boxes.
-A

Finally

New Shades, originally uploaded by apkoski.

I finished something I started - wooo! Okay, I still have to finish up the matching tea cozy, coasters, and hand towels, but I figured you'd gag if I posted all of that at once anyway.

This is an idea I got from somebody's Blog - remind me whose, if you've seen it. I finished the edges and hid the seam lines on both sides with either ribbon or bias tape. That way when it's open, it still looks pretty! It worked great except I installed the hooks uncomfortably close to the ceiling, and made the loops too small. I broke into a sweat yesterday trying open it to a triangle. Maybe small magnets would work.
Anyhoo, I'm pretty pleased with the results, which is good, since I live here and all.

-A

I Like Candy

I Like Candy, originally uploaded by apkoski.

I love easter candy.
5th Place: Jelly Beans!
4th Place: Chocolate-covered Marshmallow Egg/Bunny/Carrot
3rd Place: Chocolate-Covered Coconut Eggs
2nd: Mini Robin's Eggs
First: Cadbury Creme Eggs!

Note to self: don't visit the grocery store alone until after April 8.

-A

Hearts, Swirls, and Green

Greenback?
Nope.

Green around the gills?
Hopefully not for a while again.

Green in the Garden! That's right, spring is right around the corner here - stuff is popping up (which is good, because I forget what I stuck where last fall). Boy its been a long time since I've gardened!
Paul & I checked out plants at Home Depot this weekend - they're looking better now than they ever will for the rest of the year. I felt frenzied to get some good ones before everybody else in SE realized that they should be doing the same. The shrubs were pretty unappealing, but a couple specimen trees really caught my eye: Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, and The Salix discolor (AKA Pussy Willow). Unfortunately, they both carry a hefty price tag ($50 - $75). I am particularly in love with the Pussy Willow, because they remind me of the one we used to have in the side yard at my growing up house. Anyway, on to the hearts and swirls.

As you know, today is the overblown holiday of Valentine's Day (which oddly, usually comes out of my mouth as, "Thanksgiving.") Paul & I ruefully comply, citing that we could just do this on our own whenever we feel like it. So tonight we'll exchange little gifts, cards, and kisses (aw,) and we'll enjoy it, damn it.

'Swirls' refers to the design I toothpicked into the marshmallows I made for my Baby Boot Camp moms today. I wanted to bring them something sweet in honor of the holiday, without causing them to hold contempt for me. So I gave them each a marshmallow, recommending that they find a moment in the future to enjoy it (quietly, if possible) with/in a cup of hot chocolate. Mmmmm... they are awesome in hot chocolate - especially at a ratio of 1:1.

Happy V-Day
-A

Me & Martha

In Bloom, originally uploaded by apkoski.

As I stood in line at Home Depot yesterday, I flipped to the Martha Stewart Living Table of Contents (by chance) and spotted something interesting listed for p.49. It was a tutorial on how to force bloom flowering perennials.
"Ah-ha," I say to Paul, "Look how hip I am." (And as Liles pointed out, I ruined it by saying 'hip.')
That very morning I had pulled from my basement a vase of carefully-tended force-bloomed Flowering Quince out of my neighbor's overflowing tree. Today they started to bloom. How nice. :)

-A

How-to here.

Oh yeah... Foot

Okay, so my last post began with a clean yet risqué photo of Gatsby enjoying his belly, feet in the air. Feet in the air. Then I included a short summary of Gatsby's hellacious week (2 weeks ago) that included 5 trips to the vet and 11 evenly-spaced pukes (on the carpet every time, go figure) that included the toys listed below. Sticking with the foot theme, the remainder of the post would have, in cleverly worded fashion, explained the cruel butt-kicking that I then incurred last week. I got the 'kid flu,' AKA the stomach flu Wednesday night into Friday (no, I didn't puke on the carpet - I'm well-trained).
Unfortunately, that part was missing from my last post. It was because the store-brand NyQuil started kicking in right about the time I got to it. Earlier in the day, I had traded in my watered-down carbohydrate-electrolyte solution for some "Liquid Sleep." That morning I awoke to a sore, swollen throat and a plugged right nostril, which was giving me deja-vu. Oh, Paul's Superbowl cold! That's right, I got kicked while I was down. Why not just get the flu immediately followed by a nice little cold. Why Not?! It's a two-fer -- more is better -- the American way. I knew I shouldn't have bragged, "I haven't been sick since 2005." La-ti-da.
(I know, "Boo-hoo, hoo," "world's smallest violin," etc. This post is for entertainment purposes only - not your sympathy.)



















One more thing: the PSU Wellness Fair is done - kick butt!
*The sign for it was not puke green as it appears above, but rather the near-chartreuse, similar to what you see on my sidebars.

-A

All About The Foot

Bath, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Last week was a big week for the Great Gatsby. He swallowed 2 catnip toys, 2 hair bands, and another unknown object. Mr. G. Love spent the better part of the week at the vet, where he's become a legend of sorts - clawing and biting anyone who came close. Kung Fu Kitty. What's more impressive were his intense cries, scowls, and growls. The G events culminated last Saturday with a trip to a specialist who determined that whatever was stuck in his secum all week was now gone. Big sigh, followed by, "Little Bastard." He's got 6 lives left...

Million Dollar Baby

Gatsby, originally uploaded by apkoski.

OK, under 5K...