Just 'cause

My newest daylily. Just. Plain. Pretty.

P-p-p-pluggin' along

Harry Potter update...
Book #5 finished!
Book #6 started (did I really read this one before? It all seems so unfamiliar...)
Book #7 ordered (3 copies to pick up at midnight on the 21st.)


The family room is coming along nicely. It's actually turned out to be a room we all congregate in - something I thought might not happen. It's sunny and cheerful - even with no art on the walls yet. We have two prints being framed and then we'll have to figure out what to do with the long wall behind the couch.


W mounted the tv on the wall today - now it looks like a square lollipop on a stick (The "stick" hides the cords - we'll paint it to match the wall eventually.) The ceiling is so crooked, we had to put the tv at a slight slant to make it look normal.

Still to do:

• replace furniture
  
• install closet doors
  
• add baseboard
  
• make cushion(s) for window seat
  
• fix outlets in tv wall
  
• hang/place art
  
• shop for rug
  

and a few other details but after 12 years, there is hope...

Oh! and we have a screen door! This year we can have more air and less bugs!!!

Progress made...

Finished the fourth Harry Potter book yesterday and started on #5 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I think I might actually manage to finish them in a timely manner! Yippee! I guess if I don't time it right this time, I'm out of chances.

Hoping to pick up a paperback copy of Book 6 (for easier - and lighter - reading) and pre-order our copies of Book 7 this week.

Also trying to get organized enough to add some photos of recently creative moments. However, no progress made there...

Yeah, I thought that might happen...

So I've disappeared off the blog for a while. Some down time was logical - Cinderella tech week and followspots for six shows mid-to-late May, but after that, well...

Anyway, I found this fun thing on a blog somewhere - Library Thing - where you can catalog all your books online and I'm not really sure why you would want to do that but I do like the little cover pictures very much and the site tells me that I will find many people who have book libraries just like mine - though I'm not sure that's a good thing...

And really, it just fits in with what I was thinking of writing about anyway.

I'm gearing up for Harry Potter. I have to say that I'm not as excited about it as I have been in the past - probably because H isn't obsessive this time, but I'm definitely looking forward to reading the last book. So in the meantime, I've started reading all the others - allowing myself about a week for each one. Of course then, I finished the first book in two days and I'm almost done with the second - and I still have 5 and a half weeks left.

Well, the longer books should take longer to read, right?

And somehow, if I'm not too sick of Harry and the gang, I'll have to watch the movies too so we can go see the new one when it comes out.

Last time we got to go to a fun preview the day before it came out with gift bags and a meal in addition to seeing the movie early - and all we had to do was watch a few "Advantage" comercials - and they're pretty cute anyway - Hello Mother, Hello Father...
I wouldn't mind doing that again...

then again, you just might be mistaken

In my experience, it seems that many things look worse when they're in a photo. The cluttered background suddenly becomes the focal point, zits glow like beacons for passing ships and cat fur blankets every inch of every piece of fabric in sight. So when I saw this picture, I was almost convinced I could knit. And you might be convinced as well.

But that would only be because you can't see the real thing.

The only successful part of my sad attempt at Shimelle's Friday project was that I finished it. Which for me could be considered pretty huge.

Anyway, it was supposed to be a cup sleeve for a takeout coffee but I couldn't be bothered to find the suggested (or even a similar) yarn so I used something I pulled from the bottom of my yarn bin as well as the needles that were sitting near a recently completed project

and those were not necessarily good choices.

Even though I greatly reduced the number of stitches, the thing would still fit around a football better than a paper coffee cup. It does fit nicely around my ceramic cup - I'm guessing though that it might be a bit difficult to wash the cup since the sleeve had to be sewn on in order for it to fit through the cup handle. It was just for the photo... really.

Could you guess that the purple bat masquerading as a butterfly was supposed to be a heart? Yeah, me neither.

Finding the positive:

• I've finished two of four projects from the site.
• One of them is nice.
• Today is National Scrapbook Day and if I ever get to bed and sleep for a bit, I plan to spend some time scrapping when I get up!
• Oh! And I think I've learned a lesson - If I feel the need to take up some yarn, I'll stick to crochet.

zzzzz-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z--z--z--z---z---z----z....

Another day, another project

Is it better to have started and not finish than not to have started at all????

Ok, so I haven't finished the last couple of pages in my digital album. I'm somewhat inspired but haven't found the right time to sit down to do it. I actually tend to do more computer camping when I'm in a bad mood or semi-depressed and well, I've kinda been in a good place this week so no marathons at the desk. I suppose that's a good thing.

I did however start another project which I will no doubt not entirely follow through on, but we'll see.


Anyway, here is the fruit of my minimal labor. I'm struggling to embrace (word of the year) the imperfections and so far I like it but don't love it. Shimelle (I use only her first name 'cause I know her so well - right) is suggesting that she will have a small project on her site/blog pretty much every day for the month of May and this was the first one.

One down and 30(?) to go...

At least I am up-to-date so far!

Speaking of hybrids

Have so enjoyed having my van back today!

It's been getting a new transmission for over a week and I think that was the reason for some really cranky moments over the last couple of days.

Between the cost of fixing a car we were thinking about selling anyway, sharing just one car between two drivers and that one car being the truck I'm not comfortable driving, it's been a pain.

Much improved attitude today.

Now it's time to start thinking about what to replace the van with - we're not waiting for this transmission (the third in this car!) to go out...

And we've pretty much outgrown the minivan stage.

• There won't be any more family trips where we need to spread the kids out so they don't cause serious harm to one another (unless you count the occasional 15 minute trip to a restaurant during the holidays.)
  
  
• No more field trips with 5 unruly 4th graders eating snacks, making rude noises and complaining that they're about to be sick.
  
  
• It's been months since anyone sat in the back-back seat
  
  
• The truck is the obvious choice when it comes to transporting large objects.

It's definitely time for something a little smaller and greener.