They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words, so consider this 25,000 about 2008.
It's been quite the year and I want to send out a big THANKS to everyone who was a part of it!
Merry Christmas
To all my family and friends, a very Merry Christmas.
May it be filled with warmth, cheer, and love.
Our First Christmas Tree Adventure
The day was cold and bright.
We followed our guide to our chosen tree in Field 2.
We claim our prize
I take the first cut
Mr. Cleaver takes a couple swipes of the saw.
The tree is free, though not free of ice!
The tree is thawed. A lot of ice is removed.
We decorate.
Ornaments are hung.
We enjoy!
Our first Christmas tree together!
Ice and Inspiration
So last night we had a big ice storm: power lines are down, traffic lights are out and the roads are covered in ice and sleet - so I'm taking one of my four snow days today.
For those of you not from places that get lots of snow and ice, you may wonder how an ice storm differs from a snow storm. Well, the ice storm is generally thought to be more dangerous because everything gets covered and encased in a thick coating of ice. This causes problems for trees and powerlines especially, because the added weight often snaps branches, etc. That said, it's also rather pretty.
Also, I was tagged a little over a week ago by Bitter Betty to list 6 things I'm inspired by right now, so here's goes:
- My newest blog find - sew I do. She makes the cutest clothing for herself, her adorable son, and husband. It makes me glad that I saw some unexpected sewing time available today!
- The song "Charlie Darwin" by the Low Anthem - it was on the latest Paste sampler cd and I keep playing it over and over again.
- Portland's Buy Local movement/business alliance. I'm aiming to make all my Christmas gifts be handmade or locally purchased and since we have so many great shops here, it's not hard to do! Seriously- if you're ever in the area and want some suggestions - just ask!
- The smell of pine - we already have our wreath and we're getting the tree tomorrow - hopefully it's still in one piece!
- Pushing Daisies - this show has lots of pie, adorable clothing, and a P.I. who stress knits - I am so sad this show is canceled, but at least we have TV on DVD.
- Handknitted sweaters and socks- I've been wearing the ones I have and I want to make more and more!
Decking the Halls - Part One.
I think I waited all of five hours after getting home from my California adventure before taking out the Christmas Decorations.
I refuse to do Christmas before Thanksgiving, but once it's Christmas time I am all to eager to jump in!
I've got too much going in way of making Christmas presents to get too crazy with the decorations this year, but when I saw this how-to on Design*Sponge, I had to pull out my cardstock and scissors to do some paper crafting.
I'm quite please with the results!
Adventures in So. Cal - Day & Night
As I mentioned in my last post, I took a couple of field trips while visiting my relatives over Thanksgiving. My brother and his wife took us to the Huntington Gardens, where they're member and gave us the highlights tour. The weather was perfect and the Gardens (and art collection!) are lovely. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
That evening we when to the Festival of Lights at the Mission Inn in Riverside, where I met my quota for palm trees and fireworks:
I made it back to Portland just in time for the first snow of the year.
Just the thing to put you in the Christmas spirit!
Giving Thanks
So after a week and a half of work at the new job (by the way, I'm working at a Community Development Entity -we're helping people through building business and bringing development to low-income areas - it's very cool), I was allowed to take a day off of work to take a 5:30am flight to Southern California for Thanksgiving.
Yes, the weather was nice (65°F!). Yes, I enjoyed my In-N-Out Burger on the way back from the airport. Yes, the food was excellent. And yes, Mr. Cleaver ran into a cactus. But the best part of the whole trip was this:
I got to meet my little cousin. I got to learn a three-needle cast off with Jeanine. I got to go through my grandmother's quilt collection. I got felting tips from Zoe Ann. I got to hear about Alexis's wedding plans. I got to talk about living in the Midwest with Ray and got to know my sister-in-law better. I talked photography with my brother and Mr. Cleaver spoke French with my Uncle's mother. I tested the law of probably with my grandpa on the Roulette wheel in the "man room" and walked the Huntington Gardens with mother. I learnt that most of my family reads this blog (Hi Family!) and got to see the lighting of the Mission Inn with all of the population of Riverside.
In a word, my trip was wonderful.
And I couldn't be more grateful.
Questions & Answers
The following questions came from the blogaversary giveaway:
I’d like to know more about your sewing history. How’d you get started?
I kinda covered this in my Burdastyle interview, but basically the story is this: my mother is a fantastic seamstress and my fraternal grandmother was a home etc. teacher once upon a time and an amazing quilter, so I always grew up around it. I used to tape together my grandmother's fabric scraps into outfits for stuffed animals.
When I was in middle school I had the opportunity to take a home ec. class and I jumped at the opportunity. In the sewing portion of class we made a nine-patch pillow and a bib apron, which got me interested in sewing myself, rather than just picking out stuff for my mom to make me. I sewed a bowling shirt, which I still own and most of a doll dress, after which I didn't do much sewing for a long time.
After earning some extra cash in the spring of 2007, I bought myself my sewing machine and starting making clothes again. I've been hooked ever since.
What photo editing program do you use?
I'm pretty low tech. I have MacBook and I use the editing tools that are free in the iPhoto program. If I can't make the picture look good with 30 seconds of editing, then it probably wasn't a great shot to begin with. I figure people have been taking amazing photos for years without the benefit of computers.
I would like to know what you wish you had time to do more of?
Honestly, my schedule's been pretty lax. For me it's not about needing more time, it's about using my time more wisely. But I wish I had more focus to do some non-blog writing. I like to fancy myself a playwright on a occasion, but I haven't put any of my ideas through to completion yet.
What are three fears you have and what are three desires?
Jeepers, um... I have an irrational fear of falling down stairs. I also fear not living up to my potential/being a disappointment and someday contracting type-two diabetes (it runs in my family).
Three desires are to have a play professionally produced, to have kids, and to start a side business of selling patterns or items I have made.
Are you right or left handed?
Right, but Mr. Cleaver is a lefty.
Do you like blue or black ink?
Black, but my favorite teacher in high school always corrected our papers in green ink and I was always fond of that.
Do you like mittens or gloves?
Gloves, although mittens are easier to knit. I'm planning on casting on my first pair of gloves (for a friend) this week!
What kind of juice do you like?
Cranberry, though I have to have some kind of cran-apple or cran-grape blend because it's too hard on my stomach if I drink it straight.
Who won the pincushion giveaway?
Congratulations Cindy! Please email ms.cleaver(at)gmail.com with your address so I can mail out your pincushion! Thanks to everyone who commented - I love hearing from you all!
The Witching Hour is upon us...
Happy Halloween Everyone!
(p.s. for those following my job hunt: I got one!)
My moment in the internet spotlight
I have the pleasure of being the "featured member" this week on Burdastyle. Feel free to check out my interview on their blog!
If you're a visitor from the Burdastyle - welcome! Take a moment to look around the site and don't forget to enter in the pincushion giveaway !