tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50142655718963307042024-03-14T14:12:17.024-04:00Sew Dog Gone CuteLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.comBlogger488125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-79533012237222881542020-01-31T10:00:00.000-05:002020-01-31T10:00:07.983-05:00Hello...is this thing on?<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vTfmvpi9axefMdDjx58PtvnaCl7ew_nY4TtCj7FwmcgTqE-xKNlE9bndTKEDoaXwvL0InB_LEpAt-e4jmbP5BKGD2ZJxQEZmqLkHhCTXilLFcLjMNUwM2kTJg5Sc9hsP72JEKUJ1bP4DppMwr53Fdrqt8OjSWtErtW0OCPKyZPsT79RMtHHhl2a-Ny2ySu7-NtLrwj15sTYXAAheaZ7ekNPgTlg7wA5JA5j-sI4YABp8ic6sgJVVFznKMh-Ooks1R72wPJh45Ui-lVrNQulQ0umVtLFSAhSsgow7FyTOQ8Etg0Wb-uRcVIgKnu163y3mBo90Kya9ieRYAOXsnzDCc7RcC3mzDKfxJCQkCSfuLMV6jJbCJrnNOjZ68Z3Vxq9cZ-mEgGomSqiH_CYKYIENnhkTF1kEQ7CjEfJBfZ0zhwpDwpSm14UV-s5iN1Pf1PaZ6dZUh1qPatp-BNh2K1dm-C8moS2j6GNZNphqyZRjPpCTD8JczOGBkG79Jm0thQupJEw2XqqkF29L7fGDBVIfB6ZM8YuAhuydCcJUTLhB-I3aFStapohNb2yDXvBMDaHFjlR2SpI8qKSr9VvVDBnG-dS660DyReNX7ax6HW8AakIlsRZjA_YCvANR9giHYifSMCUJ8vEkElhm5xUB4XSXT7CCfpOkQF_pXVHR7GtsS0JHRnbi2xhYT9o=w1225-h919-no" /><br />
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Hello dear friends and internet strangers!<br />
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I am back after an almost 5 year hiatus. I cannot promise anything by means of regularity in posting here so try not to get your hopes up. I realized recently how much I have missed writing. I could write for myself but that seems dull so here I am, at the keyboard with a few precious moments to myself and I am stumped by what to write. What was it that seemed so important I needed to share? My Swiss cheese brain has failed me yet again. In all honesty I thought my brain would not remember the password to login to my dusty old blog, but my fingers did not fail me this time like my brain sometimes does.<br />
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Since I cannot for the life of me remember what topics I thought of to write last night I will tell you my New Years Goals for 2020. Hello new decade.<br />
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1. Floss my teeth.<br />
2. Read before bed<br />
3. Walk 1 mile outside everyday<br />
4. Have 1 hour tech free while at home<br />
5. Do something creative<br />
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I have a checklist in the bathroom, and being the type of person who likes to check things off I have been sticking to these goals fairly well. Thus far my teeth have been flossed and feet have walked a mile everyday this year. Thirty whole days! The feat seems both small and large simultaneously. <br />
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Sometimes I feel like I cheat the creative goal by knitting two stitches before going to bed.<br />
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I've been having good luck with books lately so it is not a struggle to read before bed, if anything the struggle is to go to bed at an appropriate time and resist the temptation to read the next chapter.<br />
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This does not feel like anything eyeopening or thought provoking for my first post in five years. I will try to keep this up, as I really do miss the act of writing my thoughts. Not only that but I really like looking back at my posts from the past and being reminded of projects or fun activities we did.<br />
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Cheers to 2020!<br />
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LaurenLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-17180151606158700762015-05-08T20:25:00.000-04:002015-05-08T20:25:10.355-04:00Sprout's Colors BookI had seen a few fabric color books on Pinterest so when April Vacation hit I pushed aside all of the other more important sewing projects (diaper bag, maternity sewing projects that will fit me now..) and started sewing something that the baby won't need for a while but I felt I like I really wanted to do.<br />
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Jaimie helped me fill in some color holes, since I had very little black and orange fabric. The actual sewing of the colored pages didn't take too long. I tried to be crazy but it turned out to have a lot of straight lines. Crazy quilting just isn't my thing. The white pages with the color name were made using wonder under to adhere the fabric letter and then embroidery floss to write the rest of the word. embroidering words is so hard because you feel like you're spelling the word wrong even if it's an easy word you obviously know how to spell. Staring at it for so long makes your brain do funny things. I did almost all of the embroidering while watching Silicon Valley with Charlie. That show is funny.<br />
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Each page had a layer of white flannel between to make it softer and hide the seams from the colors pages.<br />
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I made it too many pages to be able to sew through all of them at once, even with the walking foot. Too much flannel!This meant I had to kind of wing the binding aspect and hand sew a lot of them together, then hand sew the blue part around the edge to cover the mess of thread and fabric.<br />
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I can't wait to read it to Sprout, and for Sprout to drool all over it and throw it around with his or her chubby hands. Eeek! I think that feeling of excitement is why I wanted/needed to finish this project before other more "pressing" sewing projects.<br />
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I do have more projects to share, just very little energy to take the photos needed to post, but lots of energy to go outside and enjoy the lovely weather we've been having. I'll get to it.<br />
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Lauren<br />
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-10838802433863367492015-04-27T16:59:00.003-04:002015-04-27T16:59:51.540-04:00In Case You Haven't Cried Your Eyes Out Already TodayYou're welcome.<br />
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-12026859482665626072015-04-22T17:30:00.000-04:002015-04-22T17:30:10.721-04:00Two Years of HomeownershipToday marks two years since we "bought" (signed a loan for 30 years) our house. Sometimes it feels like we've lived here forever and other times like we just moved in. Either way it still feels very much like <i>home</i>. About once a week I will say to myself, or to Charlie, or Penny and Blaze, "I <i>just </i>love this house." I really do. I love driving home and pulling into the driveway, seeing Charlie cooking dinner inside or the pellet stove glow on the walls. Watching the dogs little heads in the windows (because they're standing with their front paws on the windowsills I spent hours painting!) I love having a garage, even when I forget to open the garage door while exiting and crack two of the four windows. I like that everything we need is in the house, and that it is almost exactly the way we want it to look. I love how I look around and it feels like <i>us </i>and shows all of the hard work we've put into it. Mostly though I love who I share the house with and who will be joining us to live here. I'm excited for this house to have a baby live in it, and a toddler, and a kid. I'm happy for all the house has taught us so far and excited for all we still have to learn.<br />
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Man that got sappy quick. In order to keep you from crying here's a list of my favorite projects to date, and I am using "favorite" loosely here since actually doing some of these projects was not really fun, but the end result is awesome.<br />
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1. My sewing room. When I think about what it used to look like I am blown away by how much paint, click flooring, elbow grease, a new desk and a few curse words can get you.<br />
2. The downstairs paint job. Again, paint can take you a long way.<br />
3. The outdoor shower. I love this addition and can't wait til it's actually warm enough to use it again. I think everyone should have an outdoor shower.<br />
4. Painting the outside. OMG did that take forever but was so worth it.<br />
5. My plants. The indoor plants are doing great. I even divided several recently since they were doing so well. Only problem is I am running out of places to put them. The outdoor plants are a bit more fickle but I am learning.<br />
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Projects I still want to complete:<br />
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1. New front steps. I'd love two solid granite steps at the front, and would so love if the "shade loving" plants I added to the front of the house would grow and look like they do in magazines.<br />
2. Floating shelves in the living room, so that the book shelf that holds two books and 10 plants won't tip over on Sprout once he or she starts crawling. I realize this isn't a project that needs to get done <i>now</i>, but I sure does feel like I need to do it now.<br />
3. Make a path to the outdoor shower and bury the gutter pipe so it stops flooding the patio. Wouldn't it be lovely if soft moss would grow and line the path to the outdoor shower? Instead it's muddy and rocky, not exactly what you want to walk through to get back into the house after a relaxing shower.<br />
4. Make the grass grow! I have put little to no effort into this project with the exception of raking one million acorns off the lawn, but I look at the grass and really wish it would be nice and green, not brown and mostly dirt. Then I think "first world problem" and get over myself.<br />
5. Fix the garage door I destroyed.<br />
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Lauren</div>
Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-56478937546929944342015-04-21T19:26:00.000-04:002015-04-21T19:26:06.683-04:00Divided Baskets for Babies My friend from high school is having a baby 3 weeks before me! It was so exciting when we both found out the other was pregnant. I thought I was going to fall over from excitement.<br />
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Her shower was last weekend and I made a divided basket for her and filled it with things I think she would need for her bundle of joy, but really what the heck do I know? She's very into researching things so I have basically been buying/registering for the things she does. She researched car seats for days and I just took her word for it and asked my mom for the exact same one. One review said a mother was driving with her baby and the car rolled over three times and the baby didn't have a scratch on him. Sold! How'd I get so off topic? The basket was really easy to make once you cut out all the dang pieces. So much interfacing! Cutting the pieces out is my least favorite part of sewing, especially now that my belly gets in the way when I need to work on the floor with bigger pieces of fabric.<br />
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It was so cute I decided to make one for myself...I mean Sprout.<br />
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Of course it's made of elephant fabric. <span style="text-align: center;">I sure hope Sprout likes elephants because this room is quickly filling up with them, much like the rest of the house. I am not sure what will go inside of the basket just yet. I'm sure I'll find a use. Until then it's pretty cute huh? And Just a sampling of the elephant collection in this room. </span><br />
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Here we are at her shower. She's having a girl and carrying much lower than I am. Old wives tails might imply that mens Sprout is a boy. More people have predicted that as well. Who knows though? Guess we'll find out in July. I just want Sprout to have 10 fingers and 10 toes, and preferably weigh less than 10 pounds, but if I had to chose I'd pick the first two requests over the last.<br />
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Lauren<br />
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-6861147027041341112015-04-16T19:03:00.000-04:002015-04-16T19:03:49.212-04:00As Of Lately: April <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a long time since I posted last. Whenever that happens I feel like it's harder to get back into posting since there is a lot to post about, a quick picture and word dump seemed like the best way to get back into it. I say "get back into it" but have very few ideas for future posts; we'll see what happens.<br />
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Lately I've been....</div>
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<i>Slowly</i> putting together Sprout's room. Not knowing the sex is fun (really, I swear I love not knowing) but it makes picking out decor 10 times harder "is it too boyish/girly?" is our new favorite phrase around here. On the (very) plus side it has kept me from buying tons of outfits, decor, sheets, quilts, etc. </div>
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<i>Anxious</i> about all of the stinking leaves and sticks that emerged from under the snow! I'm only anxious because bending over is getting to be more of a challenge, raking takes me 3 times as long as it used to, and Charlie is too busy coaching to help me. When will all these leaves get raked?!? </div>
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<i>Thinking</i> about how lame it sounds to be "anxious" about leaves. Can "nesting" urges happen outside the four walls of your home?<br />
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<i>Making</i> plans for a garden. Half of me knows I am crazy for thinking this is realistic to take care of a baby <i>and </i>a garden all summer. The other half keeps saying "You'll be home all summer! You can do it." And the positive iota in me keeps saying "You're garden was an epic fail last year, so you've really got no where to go but up.....or fail again which wouldn't be so bad either, just try." </div>
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<i>Sewing</i> baby things. Mostly for other people. Baby fever for sure, but I am enjoying it. It's fun to have friends who are pregnant too. </div>
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<i>Reading</i> every night.</div>
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<i>Proud </i>of all the progress I've made in my goal tracker. I was floored to find out that I read <u>and</u> flossed everyday in March! *Pats self on back* April has been going well in those two areas as well.<br />
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<i>Finishing</i> "Me Before You" and feeling like a heartless human because I didn't cry, or even think about crying. This is especially disheartening since I cry every time I see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN9uPIRl9pc">this commercial</a>. I think the underlying problem was that I didn't really like the book. </div>
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<i>Going</i> on long walks in the woods and saying baby names out loud into the forest. Still not totally set on names. It's very hard picking the name a person will have forever. I've also come to realize (but should have known all along) that I over think things far too much. I could go on for 30 minutes about all the things I consider when contemplating names, but I'll spare you. My dream is that when the baby comes the name will be obvious. "Name yourself kid!" If worse comes to worse we could be the hippy family who names their kid Sprout.<br />
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<i>Attempting</i> to make the perfect Rice Krispie treats and failing miserably. How can three ingredients be so hard to mix? They keep coming out way too hard, like break a filling, cut the roof of your mouth hard. I'd ask for suggestions, but really I just want someone (you) to make me a pan (or 7) and deliver them to my house.<br />
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<i>Watching</i> Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix. I'm not sure I 100% like it though. Some parts are really funny, but sometimes the main character annoys me. All (3) of the other shows we watched are over for the season.<br />
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<i>Trying</i> to figure out what the big fuss about "Wolf Hall" is. I know very little about that period of time, so I think my ignorance makes me not enjoy the show as much as the people I know who are super excited about it.</div>
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<i>Loving </i>feeling Sprout move. I am *this* close to being able to distinguish which body part is kicking/punching me. I keep waiting for the time to come when I get annoyed by the 3 am dance party that wakes me up every morning, but it hasn't. Turns out 3 am is a great time to think about how nice it will be when Sprout gets here, and how cool it is that my body is able to grow another human. It boggles my mind every time I think about it, even after 28 weeks.<br />
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<i>Wishing</i> it was April Vacation already.</div>
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<i>Enjoying </i>the (hopefully) last few fires in the pellet stove for the year. Come on warm weather!<br />
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Lauren </div>
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Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-52332485287760025012015-03-04T15:30:00.000-05:002015-03-04T18:08:59.775-05:00Winter Book ReviewI have not been reading a whole lot, but have liked most of what I've actually read before falling asleep every night so I wanted to share.<br />
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The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion : This book was really funny. It was like a funny, adult version of "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night." It didn't say it but I assumed the main character had autism so I automatically liked him. He also said things out loud that I think but know better than to say; which was funny. It was a good quirky love story and a very easy read, I read it in 2 days.<br />
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Yes Please, Amy Poehler: I took this book on vacation with us and had to force myself to put it down and people watch because I didn't want to finish it in one day. I honestly laughed out loud on the beach reading this book. I was thinking I might not be able to relate so some of the book, but Amy is so down to earth I didn't feel like she was famous or out of touch. My favorite parts were about her childhood, which seemed a lot like mine; normal, and boring enough that she had to imagine crazy scenarios to keep herself entertained. I also liked reading more about the cast of Parks and Recreation because I love that show. It was hilarious and I own it in hardcover so if you want to borrow it let me know.<br />
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Pregnancy Books-<br />
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Labor Day: True Birth Stories By Today's Best Women Writers: This has been my favorite pregnancy book so far. I've read 2. It's essays about birth by female authors. Everyone is different so it was interesting to read different perspectives and stories. The main thing I took away from it is that you can make plans for the birth until the cows come home but they might not do you any good. After reading this book my "birth plan" is as follows; Step 1: Have healthy baby. Step 2: Don't die. Step 3: Go home. My only complaint about this book is that there are some really sad stories included (miscarriage, stillbirth, failed adoptions) and they aren't marked in the book so you may accidentally read a really sad story and end up crying for 30 minutes. I ended up looking up the sad ones and marking them to I wouldn't read them. This sounds kind of immature right now, and maybe later I'll go back and read the other ones later, I just know I am not in a place where I want to read about sad baby stuff and set off my worrying mind. Aside from that I loved this book and would recommend it to friends who are pregnant.<br />
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Belly Laughs, Jenny McCarthy: I am <strike>slightly</strike> ashamed to admit I read this book, since I don't love (or even like) the author. It was written in 2004 before she went all anti-vaccine so there was none of that in the book. A very quick read about funny, embarrassing, and gross stuff during pregnancy. Things you're embarrassed to ask your friends but read and think "I'm glad I am not the only one." Other things I read and though "Thank goodness that's not happening to me....let's hope it doesn't." Some of it was pretty unrealistic considering she's mega rich and obviously has/had a housekeeper etc. to help her out. I did not have any belly laughs reading this book, but it was short so I got through it. If nothing else it was good for the "I'm not the only one" effect it had.<br />
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Up next is "Not That Kind Of Girl" by Lena Dunham.<br />
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Lauren<br />
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-39758585133748416032015-02-19T16:00:00.000-05:002015-02-19T16:00:00.746-05:00ABC SamplerThis feels like cheating since I finished <a href="http://sewdoggonecute.blogspot.com/2011/09/daisychain-sampler.html">this project</a> over two years ago. I gave it to my mom and she was nice enough to frame it for me. and save it until the right time. We went to visit and she gave it to me to add to Sprout's room. It's a bit "girly" if Sprout is a boy, but I figure I will be the only one to remember what the room looked like at the beginning anyways. I'll be the one who is awake in the room the most. Also, when I was little my mom had a painting in my room of a mother holding a naked baby and you could see the baby's chubby butt. I think it was a Mary Cassatt painting, but I am not totally sure. I distinctly remember finally being old enough to say "hey, I don't want a picture of a baby's butt in my room anymore." Wouldn't want to deny the child that experience in exerting his or her opinion about room decor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskM7ETg5Xjmk_babmjPlwbaFei9chZkt0VFfNOcFr-YwHaSAMDN58-VNsDVx6CgzB9WXMEHXiW0cxFRoXmlojnxJh64iht7BP4rlxp5-N9yYkC-enhwzpWpy0YwbZZMWPZCcotG6VvGU/s1600/IMG_2837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskM7ETg5Xjmk_babmjPlwbaFei9chZkt0VFfNOcFr-YwHaSAMDN58-VNsDVx6CgzB9WXMEHXiW0cxFRoXmlojnxJh64iht7BP4rlxp5-N9yYkC-enhwzpWpy0YwbZZMWPZCcotG6VvGU/s1600/IMG_2837.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's a kit I bought, that is now <a href="http://aliciapaulson.com/collections/embroidery-patterns/products/daisychain-abcs-crewelwork-sampler-pattern">only the pattern</a> from Posy Gets Cozy. I really like how the frame turned out. My only wish is that I had added the year next to my initials. People keep asking if the baby's room will have a "theme." Not so much, unless "things I think are cool" is a theme.<br />
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LaurenLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-51928235986186087302015-02-16T15:30:00.000-05:002015-02-16T15:30:01.781-05:00Log Cabin QuiltI cannot remember who had the idea for us to sew a quilt together me or Charlie. In September after pinning a lot of patterns we decided to go with a Log Cabin pattern and Charlie helped me do the math and pick out the fabric we both liked. I sewed 29 blocks and he sewed one. Then I realized around block 34 that there wasn't enough fabric so we bought more and I finished the 48th block, bringing my total to 47 and Charlie's to 1. He did help me lay them out over Christmas and decide on a pattern.<br />
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We should have done more research on how to sew a long cabin quilt because I messed it up and the blocks ended up not matching perfectly. I should have started each block with a solid as the first color, but instead I did half the blocks starting with solid and half starting with a print, which kept me from getting super bored, but also screwed up the pattern and resulted in blocks that do not match. I'm pretty sure no one would notice but me. Can you tell?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpWjT3L2jIqxP7RsZKcq3SBwkVoxFcjIL05QB2kD_ZMh67Ew3NoqPCEWjgniqwhX8fUv7lxVf7f7qYkZ9h0ys0GHMy2oFF-y2rISP5GcPPKfU3mB889eFrCOeDBm8Aav256u1kyVGI9k/s1600/IMG_2826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpWjT3L2jIqxP7RsZKcq3SBwkVoxFcjIL05QB2kD_ZMh67Ew3NoqPCEWjgniqwhX8fUv7lxVf7f7qYkZ9h0ys0GHMy2oFF-y2rISP5GcPPKfU3mB889eFrCOeDBm8Aav256u1kyVGI9k/s1600/IMG_2826.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Don't look too close....here's a cute dog on a quilt picture to distract you! </div>
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Then we (I) did the math and we bought the backing fabric. Over a snow day I laid it all out and realized the back was too small so I added some scraps from the quilt to add the last few inches I needed. Moral of this story is that we are both bad at math when it comes to making quilts. Thanks heavens for scraps and fabric stores.<br />
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I thought about hand quilting it, then I realized it's a king sized quilt and came to my senses. It's tied, which is super fun and easy and not nearly as time consuming as hand quilting. Sewing the binding took me at least 5 days because my eye kept twitching and a kind sized quilt = a whole lot of freaking binding!<br />
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To be 100% honest this quilt is finished about 10 months faster than I thought it would be, so math issues aside it's a total success. I would not have picked out all of the fabric, but I really like how it all turned out. </div>
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Have you finished anything way ahead of schedule recently? </div>
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Lauren </div>
Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-65231543197474761542015-02-12T16:00:00.000-05:002015-02-12T16:00:02.785-05:00"Maternity" Josephine TunicI have had this fabric for over a year waiting to make this tunic. I am very glad I waited because I used it to make a "maternity" <a href="http://shop.made-by-rae.com/collections/new-patterns/products/josephine-tunic-blouse">Josephine</a>. Not many of my clothes fit right now, so it's nice to have something new to wear. I saw <a href="http://www.made-by-rae.com/2014/10/josephine-sleeves-baby/">the idea on Rae's blog when she was pregnant.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIewRUU0ekWdWlpkHGncaPMJUDHTazwd84SW8mp1IVTo1yiR4FdJuzBHYEeTRXl1mk66XrPBFf7ow4G_3mWdLWS3gDYGpMMpZysQ1XJwyCTBMWiVrzypLMs1Yl1hiaSyAi69wjVGepXcE/s1600/IMG_2794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIewRUU0ekWdWlpkHGncaPMJUDHTazwd84SW8mp1IVTo1yiR4FdJuzBHYEeTRXl1mk66XrPBFf7ow4G_3mWdLWS3gDYGpMMpZysQ1XJwyCTBMWiVrzypLMs1Yl1hiaSyAi69wjVGepXcE/s1600/IMG_2794.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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The pattern calls for you to sew the tucks all the way to the bottom of the garment, but she modified it to only sew past the bust to allow for a little bumpage. I did the same since there is officially bumpage here. Students started commenting, so I must be showing.<br />
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I'm excited to try sewing more clothes for "maternity" wear. I'd like to use patterns I already have but am not 100% sure how to go about modifying those patterns. I'll keep you posted on my progress, or frustrations.</div>
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<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-88224103828720533842015-02-11T18:15:00.001-05:002015-02-11T18:15:53.910-05:00Lazy Person ProblemI want to win the $500,000 powerball, but I don't want to drive to the store to buy a ticket.<br />
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Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-27002671680622174022015-02-10T06:58:00.003-05:002015-02-11T16:43:20.174-05:00Habits UpdatesAll the way back in November I posted about the 5 daily habits I was trying to make become habits. Now into February I'm still working on them. It's getting easier, but not so easy they all just happen on their own.<br />
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<u>Create:</u> This is either great or really terrible depending on the week. At first I thought that the most important part was having the supplies ready to create something. Not true, you can have all the crap you need and still not be interested in the project. Key example: quilling, I have everything you'd ever need to make 100 quilling projects, but do I? No, quilling takes forever and I am not that interested in it (*side note, I should probably get rid of all my quilling stuff*) The most important part of trying to be creative everyday is to be excited about creating, whatever it is. If I am not into a project I am not excited to do it and will find excuses not to do it. Another hinderance is when a project gets finished and I don't have another idea of what to move onto. I had a period of four days after I finished <a href="http://sewdoggonecute.blogspot.com/2015/02/sprouts-first-baby-blanket.html">Sprout's Blanket</a> that I did nothing because I had no idea what to work on next. <br />
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<u>Floss:</u> This habit got derailed in December because two things happened. One I went away for the holidays and forgot to bring floss. Seems dumb right, but seriously it's floss, and I never remembered I was missing it until right before bed which made me just give up the pursuit of it before I even started. Moral of that story, pack it in your travel case! Problem two in my flossing, I got the flu and had no energy to get out of bed never mind floss my skuzzy teeth. Once I got better and got home I was right back on track and haven't missed a day. This is my easiest habit thus far, probably because it takes the least amount of time.<br />
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<u>Read:</u> One thing the holidays made me realize is that if you get out of your normal routine it's super easy to <i>stay</i> out of it. I didn't read at all over vacation and then it took me a while to get back into it. I've been reading a few books about babies, but nothing serious. I think I should check out a book from the library to give myself the time pressure to finish a book again. Any suggestions?<br />
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<u>Exercise:</u> For the most part I am successful at this. Being pregnant has made me more liberal about what counts and what doesn't. Hint, if I got off my butt for 30 minutes it counts. I have been doing my exercise classes, and doing "interval training" on our treadmill while watching Friends re-runs on Netflix. "Interval training" is a fancy term Charlie came up with for how I walk for one scene of Friends and then run for the next, then walk, then run. I also count walking the dogs if it takes more than 30 minutes. I have not run outside since the beginning of December and I don't even feel bad about it. I am paranoid about falling on the ice and snow. I read (on Pinterest) that doing squats makes labor and delivery easier so I try to do 50 a day, which works out to me doing about 50 a week, but you know. Too bad it's not the thought that counts in terms of exercising.<br />
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<u>Be Kind:</u> Last year it was "have patience" which matched with my one little word. This year my word is kind so I figured I'd put that as my habit. Like I said, when I am not "kind" it last for a few days and takes me a while to get out of my funk. When I am kind it's easy to keep the momentum rolling. Being kind mostly in terms of giving myself a check is if I said primarily nice things, didn't gossip or swear, was nice to Penny, Blaze and Charlie, and was kind to myself.<br />
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Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-51062051335091681342015-02-06T15:00:00.000-05:002015-02-06T15:00:02.591-05:00Sprout's First Baby Blanket I've been debating for a while how or what to say on this topic. Here goes.<br />
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Charlie and I are having a baby!!! ** jumps up and down in excitement, then sits down really winded and eats half a watermelon,** We are very excited. We are not finding out if it's a boy or girl, so I call it "Sprout" instead of calling it "it". I bought the yarn when I was 7 weeks pregnant after my first appointment. I was so excited I had to do something, but also so tired that I knew I wouldn't have the energy to sew a quilt right away, but knitting, that's easy. I did most of it on the couch while watching shows or movies with Charlie and some of it in front of the fire while he cooked dinner. Knitting also travels much easier than sewing projects so I did a lot in the car on the way to places over the holidays, or at my in-laws while watching a Harry Potter Marathon.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.purlbee.com/2011/09/15/whits-knits-chevron-baby-blanket/">pattern</a> was one I've seen many times before I was even pregnant and really liked from The Purl Bee. It was super easy to follow, even for me; a pattern hater and novice knitter.<br />
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It's super warm and soft, I want to cuddle with it myself on cold days.<br />
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I deviated a little and knit more than 10 rows for some of the colors, since I wasn't out of yarn yet. I partially wish I hadn't done that because now the blanket is much longer than it is wide, which makes for a bit of an odd shape. Made with love is what I'll say. And I sure do love this little Sprout.<br />
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Lauren<br />
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**** This was at the beginning of the post but seemed too depressing and</div>
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long winded so I added it here. Feel free to not read it.*****</div>
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I have promised myself I am not going to blog exclusively about pregnancy and the baby. I also don't want the baby to have his/her picture all over the internet before they have a say in what is posted. That doesn't seem fair to me, and I wouldn't want to do that to a baby/kid. My parents took all kinds of embarrassing pictures and videos of me, and I said some pretty dumb things, but there was no internet to post all that stuff on so those humiliating things are between us, the photo albums, and the VHS tapes. I intend to keep it that way with this baby. Sounds like a pretty boring blog now huh? That's what I was thinking too. I even considered not posting here anymore. As a good friend once said: "you don't have to post it on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/your blog (insert other social media here) for it to have happened." Good point Sammy! If only more people realized that.<br />
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I do still like taking pictures of what I've created and sharing them here though. Another friend said that her blog serves as a reminder of things she had done and she likes looking back on old posts. I feel the same way, it's fun to look back on things I sewed ages ago, and also a good reference to what changes I should make to patterns etc. Conundrum city ensued, which is why I have not posted a lot (anything really) lately. After much thought I've decided that I have no qualms about sharing things I have sewed or made for the baby, so I think it will stay a crafting blog, but be less about the other stuff. If you want to know about <i>that</i>, feel free to call, text or e-mail me.<br />
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Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-14819088774626831532015-02-03T15:00:00.000-05:002015-02-03T15:00:03.209-05:00Word of the Year (Only A Month Late)Last year I picked a word of the year to focus on. I never blogged about it, but kept reminding myself, almost daily, of the word. In 2014 my word was patience. Maybe I'll write a re-cap of that word later on, but it was <i>very </i>helpful. Had I known how much patience has to do with biting ones tongue I might not have undertaken the word, but I did, and am glad for it.<br />
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"Patience" seemed like a tough act to follow, so hopefully 2015's word will fit the bill. I've picked "kind" as my word to focus on this year. I had been trying to think of a new word since November and right before Christmas it just came to me and felt right. Obviously I love multi-meaning words, and definitions (it's my job!) so when I really thought more about "kind" I realized to me it has three prongs or areas.<br />
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-Being kind to others. I think (or at least hope) people would say I am a kind or nice person. Sometimes though (well, most of the time) my first thoughts are not always kind. These thoughts even escape my brain and make their way to my mouth sometimes. Until I started thinking about saying kind things I didn't realize how often I say not very kind things. The sad thing is most of the bad things I say are to the people I like or love the most. Eek. I feel like being kind also ties in my work on patience. In order to be kind you must be patience and kind at the same time. I'm also working on doing kind things for others. Saying nice things, smiling more, sending thank you notes, or random text messages to make someone I love happy. The best part of this so far is that it's helping me to notice when other people do something kind for me. I think people are genuinely nice and good, it's just hard to realize when you're not focusing on it.<br />
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- Being kind to myself. You know the saying, you are your harshest critic. So true in my case. For every one mean thing I say about other people I say 100 about myself. Being kind means that I accept my flaws and move on. The other day I forgot to renew my certification for something and instead of freaking out about it, getting mad at myself for being forgetful, or crying, I paid the late fee and got over it. No sense in beating myself up over something small in the grand scheme of things. It also means accepting that what I am doing is the best I can do. I tend to compare myself to others and think I am not good enough. I need to remind myself (often) that what I am doing is the best I can do at this particular time given the particular situations. Done. Well, not done, I need to keep reminding myself of it so I won't get mad when everything on my list isn't done and I still can't cook dinner without setting off the smoke detector.<br />
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- Spending time with my "kind". Get it? Kind can mean more than just being nice! I have realized that I am not really good at making friends. I am good at keeping friends, just not making them, there is a big difference. This year I am going to make more of an effort to continue to be a good friend, daughter, wife, sister, etc. I also want to put effort into building relationships with my kind of people. I am not <i>exactly</i> sure how I will go about this, but I have some ideas. Most of this primarily has to do with realizing that when you're 29 the definition of "friend" is a lot different than it was when I was 12, or even 20. Friends were all encompassing when I was 12, now that I am 29, not so much. I really enjoy spending time by myself, but also need to see that the people I choose to spend my time with are my friends, despite the fact that we've never painted each others nails, slept over at each others house, or talked on the phone for 2 hours a night. I also have been working on realizing that having 100 friends doesn't make you any happier than having 2 friends.<br />
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A month into my word and things are going well for the most part. I've noticed that the kindness tends to bring more kindness, and sometimes the kindness train comes to a screeching halt and stays in the station for 2-3 days. Kindness breads more kindness. It's hard to get back on track after falling off for a few days but I can honestly say I feel better when I am focusing on it and actively trying to be kind.<br />
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Lauren<br />
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Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-5009820001586409772015-01-15T16:00:00.000-05:002015-01-15T16:00:01.205-05:00Plaid!This plaid flannel fabric was given to me for Christmas two years ago. Two! I'd be more ashamed if I didn't have 5 year old fabric sitting on my shelf.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a crazy looking bird I was looking at when this photo was snapped. </td></tr>
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Last weekend we had no plans and I was exceedingly happy about that after being so busy recently with visiting family and friends over the holidays. I told extra care when cutting out the pattern to try to match the plaids. I mostly succeeded I'd say, pretty good at least for a first try. Also, I've noticed that no one else every looks at stuff like that, and if they do, they are nice enough not to comment on it.<br />
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The pattern is my go to winter wardrobe pattern: the Tova. It's super easy to make, I know it fits well (because it's not very fitted) and I knew it would be warm even in the cold temps we're having lately. The last one I made was also flannel but I didn't add sleeves. I liked the jumper look to it but wanted something warmer this time.<br />
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My most favorite part is the buttons I added on the placket. The two other Tova's I have made are open all the way down and I sometimes feel like it shows a bit too much. I am a bit lazy (read:scared of button holes still) so I sewed the buttons on and didn't do any button holes. No one can tell, and only one button goes through both layers, the other ones won't be used anyways.<br />
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Charlie helped me hem it and I asked if he thought it looked too much like an old fashioned nightgown and he said "no, it just looks that way because you're wearing it with slippers." What a nice guy.<br />
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Worn with fleece lined tights, a pair of socks for warmth, and boots I was quite toasty all day.<br />
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Lauren<br />
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Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-49017072506033036192014-12-08T17:16:00.000-05:002014-12-09T16:04:42.765-05:00Book ReviewMy reading has slowed down significantly. I blame the days getting shorter, and also after finishing "All The Light We Cannot See" no other books compare. I only read two books in November and finishing one was a struggle.<br />
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<u>Unbroken</u> by Laura Hillenbrand. This book was really good. I don't often read non-fiction, but when I do it's usually in memoir or biography form. It took me a while to finish the book because I couldn't read it before bed since I would have scary dreams about being a POW or eaten by sharks. I mostly read it on the couch while Charlie watched football. I kept gasping because things just kept getting worse for poor Louie. I can't remember ever gasping out loud while reading a book before. I wanted Charlie to read this book so we could have a book club but he was not into that idea. I don't want to read the science books he's reading so the book club idea died. I think it caught on with my brother-in-law and his wife though, so at least someone is doing it.<br />
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<u>Fangirl</u> by Rainbow Rowell. I liked Eleanor and Park so I thought I'd like this book by the same author, but I pretty much hated it. I forced myself to finish because although I hated it, I wanted to know how terribly it ended. Spoiler...it ended terribly. In between each chapter was a clip from a fake book that was a lot like Harry Potter and it super annoyed me. Towards the end I just started skipping those parts to finish faster. I was annoyed by the whole book, I probably should have stopped reading it.<br />
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After returning <u>Fangirl</u> to the library I was uninspired by reading so I didn't get another book to read. That was probably a bad sign. To get myself back into it I've done what I usually do, read a book I've read 20 times already. In the summer the book is <u>Summer Sisters</u>, in spring, The <u>Times Travelers Wife</u>, and in winter <u>Little Women</u> always wins. My copy is from 1921 from my grandmother. The old book smell just adds to the charm and comfort of reading it. Reading it under a cozy Christmas quilt doesn't hurt either.<br />
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Do you have any good book recommendations? What book could you read 100 times?<br />
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LaurenLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-64527197941624973452014-12-05T20:13:00.001-05:002014-12-06T08:11:20.743-05:00December Bucket ListDid you guys know it's December 5th! I kind of forgot. I'm not sure why but I am not feeling the Christmas spirit as much as in years prior. Perhaps I was just way overboard back then? In an effort to get more into it I've made a bucket list. Some are admittedly things I <i>have</i> to do, while others are just fun and I like doing them.<br />
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<ol>
<li>Cut our own tree and decorate it with ornaments that Blaze cannot destroy. </li>
<li>Put white lights in the windows of our house. (I already did this, and I love driving home at night and seeing the candle lights on in the windows, it reminds me of my home when I was little.)</li>
<li>Watch Elf, It's A Wonderful Life, Love Actually, and Home Alone 2.</li>
<li>Bake Christmas cookies. (Most likely using <a href="http://sewdoggonecute.blogspot.com/2012/12/pistachio-christmas-cookies.html">this recipe</a>.) </li>
<li>Sip hot cocoa with marshmallows next to the pellet stove.</li>
<li>Wrap all my Christmas presents at the same time while listening to Christmas music.</li>
<li>Listen to the "Celtic Woman Christmas" station on Pandora until my ears bleed. </li>
<li>Finish sewing all my presents by Dec 17th so I won't be stressed out. (This means I actually have to <i>start</i> sewing.) </li>
<li>Eat dinner by candlelight every night.</li>
<li>Decorate a wreath for the front door. (Sadly this year I did not collect milk weed pods to decorate my wreath, and now the snow and ice have come and ruined all the pods.)</li>
<li>Go for a night walk when it's snowing.</li>
<li>Have a bon fire. </li>
<li>See a Christmas play (this weekend we're seeing A Christmas Carol.)</li>
<li>Go to the Newfound Inn for dinner and drinks, and to look at all the lights and decorations. (a three year tradition that I absolutely love and so look forward to.)</li>
<li>Start a new tradition.</li>
<li>Decorate the mantel.</li>
<li>Send Christmas cards. (This year I really felt totally out of ideas and found cards on sale for 50% off that I loved, so I did not/will not be making cards from scratch. Had I realized how upsetting this would be to my aunt I may have re-considered. The convenience factor was key.)</li>
<li>Buy presents for the giving tree. </li>
<li>Go to a Christmas concert.</li>
<li>Take a family picture that all four of us look good in. (That could take until next Christmas.) </li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite Holiday sights. The Newfound Inn. </td></tr>
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What's on your December Bucket list? Any favorite traditions?</div>
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Lauren </div>
Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-9549402757099562752014-11-24T16:30:00.000-05:002014-11-24T16:30:00.933-05:00Things I Like and You Should Like TooHere is a (short) list of things that I am really enjoying lately and want you to like too. Mostly so that we can talk about said things together.<br />
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Serial. I am obsessed with this podcast. I listen to it while raking, and while driving. The other night I sat in the car, in the garage finishing listening to the podcast. Don't worry I turned the car off so I would not die of carbon monoxide poisoning. Luckily my friend texted me to remind me of that, but I also knew to begin with too, but thanks for caring Chandra. It's so good, you should listen to it. I really need someone to talk to about it. I am only on episode 6 though, so if you're farther than me then I actually DON'T want to talk to you.<br />
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Watching stand up comedy on Netflix. A friend came to visit and made me watch the beginning of "New In Town" by John Mulaney. After he left I finished watching it and laughed hysterically. Then, still craving more laughs I started watching more. I've watched "Chelsea Peretti: One of the Greats" and "Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive". Both had me laughing until my sides hurt. Now I have convinced myself I have missed my calling in stand up comedy because I think I am as funny as these people. Then I remember I hate crowds, and talking in public, and most importantly, that I am only funny to people who know me very well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/netflixus?brand_redir=1">source</a></td></tr>
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Buying flowers for myself. Flowers make me really happy. They also make me feel like my house should be clean. The flowers deserve to be in a clean house. Every payday I buy myself some flowers, and clean the house. Aren't I so exciting? I'm doing a great job of selling you on all of my awesome/cool things I do.<br />
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What awesome stuff have you been up to that I should look into doing so we can be cool together? </div>
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Lauren </div>
<br />Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-48910417655989724012014-11-20T16:33:00.000-05:002014-11-20T16:33:00.431-05:00HabitsLast month I tried to do five things every day.<br />
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<ol>
<li>Read</li>
<li>Create</li>
<li>Exercise</li>
<li>Floss</li>
<li>Have Patience. </li>
</ol>
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Can you guess which one had the lowest success rate? "Have patience", obviously. Do you even know me?</div>
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I even made a check list to chart my progress. Because, I like giving myself arbitrary checks. </div>
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This month my journey continues. Part of me feels like some of these things have become habits, but another part of me knows that if I stop putting checks on a chart I will probably stop doing these things because I won't have to be accountable. Sounds crazy to feel accountable to a checklist on your fridge that no one else cares about, but I swear it works. Especially for flossing. I tell myself I'll feel much better checking a little square to say I flossed, than I'd feel skipping it, so I floss before bed.</div>
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What counts as what you ask?</div>
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<b><u>Read:</u></b> books and magazines count. Online crap does not, nor does work stuff. My goal here was to unplug and wind down before bed. It's also kept me reading into the fall, which has not happened in the past. No time limit on this goal 5 minutes counts just as much as 2 hours. </div>
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<b><u>Create:</u></b> Sewing, knitting, felting, scrapbooking, art journaling, writing blog posts, baking and cooking, yes cooking. all count in my book. I have figured out that if you force yourself to create everyday you get a lot more done. There is no time limit, I could sew for 2 minutes and it would count. But that never happens. Previously I would not do something creative because I only had 20 minutes and didn't feel like that was long enough to get into a groove so I'd sit on my butt and do nothing. Now I have 20 minutes to meet my goal so I'll do it. Another strategy I have found works for me is to stop while I am still inspired. Sounds dumb right? Actually it works because I am more excited to go back to the project the next day than having to start over again thinking of something creative the next day. </div>
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<b><u>Exercise:</u></b> Running, crossfit, walking the dogs for 30+ minutes, hiking, and recently raking have all counted. I aim for 30 minutes or more, but will still give myself a check for 20 minutes. Mostly, as long as I sweat it counts. </div>
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<b><u>Floss:</u></b> That's easy, did I floss or not? I hope my late grandfather who was my first dentist is happy about this goal. I also hope my dentist now will be happy about this. I'll still get cavities though I am sure, I think I have very porous teeth. Also I recently went to the dentist and the hygienist still asked me with the same tone of voice they always do "how often do you floss?" as if saying "you obviously need to be reminded to floss, because no one does this everyday."</div>
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<b><u>Have Patience: </u></b>This is definitely the hardest one to measure and to keep. As someone who writes measurable goals all day you'd think I'd have made goal 5 something you could actually measure, but no. I mostly mean this in terms of my home life, so it pertains to Penny, Blaze, and Charlie. I seem to do a relatively good job of having patience at work, which is surprising considering the maturity level of the children I work with. It's when I get home that I feel like I've used it all up and have none left to give. But in making this goal, and attempting to make it a habit, I have realized that there is not a set supply of patience in a day. I want to put a check on my chart so I'll bite my tongue, do something I don't really want to do, and be flexible. Funny thing is it's easier to keep doing this once you have started. Patience momentum. If you asked Charlie I am sure he would say he notices no difference in my behavior but I do notice it and feel much better going to bed at night knowing that I didn't snap at anyone. </div>
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I thought about adding a 6th for November, but I think another month to get these more ingrained into my mind and my schedule will be good. I read it takes 21 days to make a habit. I must just be extra slow compared to normal people in habit making. </div>
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What habit do you wish you had? </div>
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Lauren </div>
Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-7922560978520941342014-11-19T16:05:00.000-05:002014-11-19T16:05:00.667-05:00Capsule Wardrobe (ish)I've been reading about <a href="http://www.un-fancy.com/capsule-wardrobe-101/what-is-a-capsule-wardrobe-anyway/">capsule wardrobes</a> a lot lately. Must be a new blogger thing. The basic idea is that you have 37 (or some number you pick) items of clothing, including shoes, that you wear for a three month period of time. Only those items. I read that people only wear 25% of their clothes anyways, so why not only have that 25% of the clothes out to pick from?<br />
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My brother in law is a self proclaimed "minimalist" and has been talking about that idea a lot. When he gets something new he throws out or donates something else. One in, one out. I've also been reading about simplifying your life, having only things that make you happy around, etc. All of these ideas collided with my summer to fall clothes switch over about a month ago. Usually I just take the fall clothes out and put the summer clothes away. This time I was (mostly) ruthless in my switching. I threw a lot of yucky clothes out, got rid of items I had had since college (seriously), and donated items I never wear. My biggest issues are items that I've sewn that aren't 100% perfect or ill fitting. I have a hard time getting rid of those things, even though I never wear them, because all I think about is how much time went into creating it.<br />
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Inability to give up clothes aside I did slim down my clothing significantly. I also put aside clothes that I couldn't get rid of <i>right now</i>, and if I think about a particular item or want it before Christmas I'll get it from the other closet and wear it, if not, it's gone.<br />
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Capsule wardrobes seem to work well for people who work from home and have a casual style. I'd say I have a casual style, but I cannot wear jeans to work everyday. Due to this trimming down my closet to 37 pieces seemed to daunting and downright impossible. I had 37 cardigans alone! I have since cut down the number of cardigans drastically by getting rid of the ones I never wear or the ones with stains and rips, why did I keep those anyways? I also got rid of about 6 pairs of work pants. I realized that it seemed like I had a lot of pants to wear to work, but I only ever wore 3 of them because they fit and were comfortable, the others were ill fitting, stained (seriously what's wrong with me) or just not a color/style I wear. One pair has 4 buttons and a zipper, which is way too much for someone who only has 10 seconds to go to the bathroom between students. They're gone! I did the same with my jeans. Who needs 6 pairs of jeans, only two of which you wear, when you only wear jeans on the weekends, and to be honest many weekends you just hang out in workout clothes/pj's/sweatpants anyways?<br />
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This is a very long winded way of me introducing my new style goals.<br />
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1. Buy or make only pieces you're sure you'll wear, fit with items you already have, and can be worn multiple times.<br />
2. Diversify, match different items.<br />
3. Have a color scheme.<br />
4. Flip clothes hanger to other side once I've worn an item so I know I wore it this season.<br />
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I have a feeling no one will care about this post, but if I say it I'll feel more accountable and stick to it instead of falling back into my old habits. "Make it public make it happen."<br />
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Have you heard of this idea? Think you could do it?<br />
LaurenLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-79822512691509711822014-11-10T16:00:00.000-05:002014-11-10T16:00:01.617-05:00Keeping It Real Race Recap Well, I promised I would start sharing "real" stuff here, so the real truth is the race I ran on Saturday sucked. It was a 12 mile trail race. Mistake one was drastically underestimating the elevation profile of this race. Mistake two was drastically overestimating how much I had actually trained for this race. Conclusion to these two mistakes, wicked bummer of a race.<br />
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The first two + miles were up a mountain, so I walked, and huffed and puffed. By the top my legs were jello so running down all of those switch backs was a real pleasure. It had rained the day before so there was ice everywhere, and lots of slippery leaves. This resulted in me tripping and in two instances totally wiping out. The people in front of me and behind me kept falling too so I didn't feel so bad, but I also did feel bad because it hurts to fall. I think I sprained my pinky finger catching myself, but everyone I ask says it looks normal. I also banged my knee on a root or rock or something hard. At mile 6 I told myself to drop out, but by mile 7, where you could drop out, I had convinced myself not to drop out, then mile 7.7 I was kicking myself for not dropping out. At that point my legs were alternating between feeling like jello or lead bricks. Since I was not having much luck getting my legs to work, and the tripping and falling kept happening, I decided to just switch my mind set to "I am hiking" and not "I am running a race, and sucking ass at it." The views were really great. You could see the lake and towards the end of the race you "hiked" past several water falls. People were very spread out by the last 4 miles so I was totally alone wondering if I was even going the right way, doubting all of my previous life choices.<br />
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The end of the race must have been designed by someone who really hates all people. You run up a road to the carriage house, then turn left and continue running up these old winding steps to get to the "Castle in the Clouds". Charlie was waiting for me on the step, upon seeing him I immediately began to cry since the entire race had been very mentally and physically challenging. If I thought he would have said yes I would have asked him to carry me. He walked with me to the finish line where I continued to cry until I forced myself to laugh at how stupid I was acting.<br />
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These are the stairs. I did not look .00001 percent as beautiful as this woman. At the finish line you have to turn around and walk your sorry butt back down the hill you just ran up. Seriously a sadists made this race up. Once we got back to the carriage house and met with our friends I sat down and was able to laugh about how seriously dumb the entire race was, and how delusional I was, and also how dumb it is that people willingly pay money to do this type of stuff. The after race food consisted of bagels, beer, whoppie pies and beef stew. The beef stew was all I could eat and was ice cold by the time I finished, so I took one bite and spit it out. Moral of the story is if you want hot food at the end of a race, run faster.</div>
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My new running friend had an excellent race so I gladly listened to her recant her success. Our other friend tried to run the 4 mile race but had an asthma attack and had to quit. Charlie finished 6th and "ran almost all of the race." Of the four or us two had a good race and two wanted to die. Pretty bad odds if you ask me. </div>
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There was nothing but ice cold soup to eat so we packed up and set out to find food. I wanted to get ice cream at Ben and Jerry's in Meredith, Charlie was sure they were closed for the season. After looking it up online my phone said that they were open and I convinced him to take us, but once we got there the sign said "closed for the season." Google, you let me down. Instead we went to a pizza place next door and I had hot chocolate and gluten free BBQ chicken pizza. Probably a (little bit) healthier choice. Once we returned home though I made gluten free brownies to eat with vanilla ice cream on top. Not healthy, but who cares, I "hiked" 12 miles. Get off my case. It was delicious #noregrets.</div>
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On Sunday I was quite tired but managed to force myself to rake leaves for 3 hours, hang out with the dogs and do laundry. </div>
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If you are wondering, I will <i><u>not</u> </i>be doing this race again next year. Charlie said he would, he has issues. I'll go for a hike, take pictures of the pretty view and watch people try not to puke hiking up the last part of the course. </div>
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I have not signed up for any more races, so staying motivated this winter might be an issue. I am going to try to run (at least) one mile a day from Thanksgiving until New Years. I did it last year and only missed one day. Running helps me have an easier time skiing, so I'll have to remind myself of that when I don't want to go for a run. </div>
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I hope you had a less painful weekend than mine. What was the last really dumb thing you did? </div>
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Lauren </div>
Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-85974471568706170202014-11-06T18:38:00.003-05:002014-11-07T08:51:48.152-05:00Stuff and Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was planning to come home after work today and rake, but the rain had other ideas. Instead of being useful I decided to waste my time and yours by telling you a lot of random things. This photo is not from today.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yXPCXQtdliH1htfFCLz2TrduXu4tm2mWVm1hrxQHWat3CDhZqZpwOM_jeNRJ5JL3gvJgW8-otdma1P3XDhb6kekuBuboOiKFNVviU-nj1ZGpUw42EidN2WHT4q23A-vZ0Hnptd9QsS0/s1600/IMG_6441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yXPCXQtdliH1htfFCLz2TrduXu4tm2mWVm1hrxQHWat3CDhZqZpwOM_jeNRJ5JL3gvJgW8-otdma1P3XDhb6kekuBuboOiKFNVviU-nj1ZGpUw42EidN2WHT4q23A-vZ0Hnptd9QsS0/s1600/IMG_6441.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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1. Seeing this pretty view every morning makes me not hate daylight savings time so much. I do wish those two dead branches on the far right tree would just fall off already though. Lots of people have been complaining about the sun going down so early, but I just see it as more sewing and reading in bed time.<br />
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2. We've started using the pellet stove again to heat the house, I forgot how great it is. I love to be warm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJM4ezNZt8KNQ1hkbXHfVFmOl4g-jq1VyTaN-ZB4Cf_81O5FklCWKR7EBjIBmiAbI2yPSXge5Aq6akKFwE_8SVXZrZKTq-QGGJ7_X39B_BaV4w_H1kkUAU9tliNVT779FDg6mRXmaW_Co/s1600/IMG_6444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJM4ezNZt8KNQ1hkbXHfVFmOl4g-jq1VyTaN-ZB4Cf_81O5FklCWKR7EBjIBmiAbI2yPSXge5Aq6akKFwE_8SVXZrZKTq-QGGJ7_X39B_BaV4w_H1kkUAU9tliNVT779FDg6mRXmaW_Co/s1600/IMG_6444.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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3. I think my Christmas cactus has been spending time at Home Depot and Walmart when I am at work and thinks Christmas is a lot sooner than it is. Why plant, why? And yes, that is our smoke detector behind the plant, it seems to be going off a lot lately. I am not even the one setting it off.<br />
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4. This weekend Charlie and I are running a race. When we signed up it was an 11 mile race. Then we got an e-mail saying that due to weather and unforeseen trail issues the race had to be bumped up to a 12 mile course! Only in trail racing would this be acceptable. I am nervous because I've never done this race before, or even been to the area that it's held at. <strike>Most</strike> All of my training runs have been on flat trails and the race is up a mountain so that should be great. I have downloaded three new "pump up jams" for my ipod to help me run like the wind.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEBKznWX178dsH1On02F6-Xo2NGbIUMXnNvmajYWieJ-fOkq-R_Gt6AXbmtOfESbBRa1jPq6-aqR6d3FA0hsW1XYz4uvfFxfiD7WPrS1fYd07VRWbWLLQ67T8vDbUePhINMjmY_PDA_c/s1600/IMG_6468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEBKznWX178dsH1On02F6-Xo2NGbIUMXnNvmajYWieJ-fOkq-R_Gt6AXbmtOfESbBRa1jPq6-aqR6d3FA0hsW1XYz4uvfFxfiD7WPrS1fYd07VRWbWLLQ67T8vDbUePhINMjmY_PDA_c/s1600/IMG_6468.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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5. I went hiking last weekend to the top of the logging road with my sister in law, Meera. There was snow on the top of one of the mountains in the distance. Now I am very excited for it to snow. I won't be hiking up this hill when there is snow though. Also, her little dog Raffi doesn't own orange gear to not be shot by a hunter so we had to tie a scrap of red fabric around his neck. It looked like a little scarf, so he looked like a mini French dog. It makes me want to sew him a beret.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodUszm6Picp3_oNKkqrNCPUpQMcy-KRYACTdYk5gmGKllVKEJvCAuWWiN_NrfGbvjFtsUEkx-Vx41R5DThzvkXHAh0a57fYkjiAv88QI-JklHh9k3s5-A0LYFhjZhwC08CD7cwVb9KDc/s1600/IMG_6475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodUszm6Picp3_oNKkqrNCPUpQMcy-KRYACTdYk5gmGKllVKEJvCAuWWiN_NrfGbvjFtsUEkx-Vx41R5DThzvkXHAh0a57fYkjiAv88QI-JklHh9k3s5-A0LYFhjZhwC08CD7cwVb9KDc/s1600/IMG_6475.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
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6. I had to go to an unfamiliar grocery store the other day, and had only a little bit of time to find what I needed. Instead of wandering around (or reading the signs) I asked sales clerks where things were, I'm not afraid to ask for directions. This plan backfired on me when I asked a male associate "Where are your nuts?" Luckily he was nice and pointed my severely embarrassed red faced self to aisle 12, which was 6 steps from where I was standing when I asked him. The worst part is this is the second time this has happened to me. The first was in high school. I can't tell which incident was more mortifying. Probably the high school one as the boy then was much more attractive than the man this time. Anyways, to keep that from ever happening again I bought a huge container of nuts and will never buy them again, ever.<br />
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LaurenLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-37859631720809867202014-11-02T19:36:00.001-05:002014-11-03T07:33:52.924-05:00How'd You Get That Way?Once my brother said to a rather large female friend of my Grammy's "You're fat!" He was probably 3. She stuttered a response something along the lines of "well....yes.....I am" and then to add salt to her wounds Garrett said; "How'd you get that way?" Ever since then the phrase "how'd you get that way?" has stuck in my head. He wasn't asking to be rude, 3 year old's can't really be rude, he was asking because he was curious. I'd say we were both curious kids who grew into curious adults.<br />
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I like hearing back stories, finding out how people got to where they are now. I am awkward at meeting new people because I just want to skip the chit-chat and get to the "how'd you get that way" questions. I love asking how people met their significant others. I love to hear about how people chose their profession, or the house they bought. I also adore when people ask me the "how'd you get that way questions." Who doesn't love taking about themselves right? (why else would people have blogs?! am I right?)<br />
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The other day I helped a co-worker sew something for her mother-in-law. She watched me sew the item and then remarked, how did you learn to do this? I thought I'd share the (long) story here.<br />
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My mom has been sewing all of my life. She's made tons of clothes for Garrett and I, and even my wedding dress. She likes to sew, knit and cross stitch, so I grew up seeing her doing those hobbies. Honestly, I don't remember really learning to sew. My mom says that I used to sit on the table next to the sewing machine while she sewed and watch her. I do remember a few time when she would leave the room and I would jump off the table and sit in her chair trying to reach the pedal and sew. She says that sitting on the table lead to sitting on her lap while she sewed. I can only imagine how helpful I must have been (nawt). We had a vintage sewing table in the kitchen that I used to play with. It never worked, but I guess I liked to pretend. I'm not sure which my mom taught me to do first hand sew or use the machine, probably hand sew. Who wants their 5 year old to sew through their finger? I can remember hand sewing little clothes and pillows for my dolls. I also remember getting frustrated that my stitches were not the same size and were much bigger than my mom's; I tended to be a perfectionist even then.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I swear this is me, not a boy. </td></tr>
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I seemed to stick with hand sewing for a while, mostly because I didn't exactly know how to use the sewing machine very well, but also because the things I was sewing were rather small and were just easier to sew by hand. Garrett had a teddy bear named Baxter, he would pay me a penny for each item of clothing I made for Baxter. That one eyed bear had quite a collection of clothes after a while. One summer we decided Baxter should get married to my bear Kimberly (named after the Power Rangers). I spent hours making Baxter a tux and Kimberly a wedding dress. On July 12th (Garrett's birthday) Baxter and Kimberly got married; a stuffed leprechaun performed the ceremony, and there was a mini cake made from a bit of Garrett's real birthday cake. It should be mentioned that Baxter also needed many "surgeries" performed by my mom of myself to re-stuff him because his insides kept falling out. He was a very loved bear, and still lives with my brother.<br />
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Aside from sewing for Baxter I tended to get inspired by movies and books and try to sew clothes for my teddy bears based on what I had read or seen. I vividly remember spending hours making a hoop skirt from straws for a teddy bear after seeing Little Women for the first time. It never turned out the way I wanted it to though.<br />
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The summer between my third and forth grade year I started using the sewing machine more often. We had a babysitter named Elizabeth who lived next door. She would drive us to art camp and swim lessons everyday. Regardless of the weather we had to get out of the pond at exactly 1:35 in order to go to the market in town to get a bar of candy for each of us, and make it home in time for Elizabeth to watch her favorite soap opera, which came on at 2. Being home from the beach at 2 left a few hours of open time for Garrett and I to either get into a lot of trouble, or to crafts. Garrett usually chose the trouble option, and I usually picked crafts. I'd sew using scraps of fabric, make friendship bracelets, and do little needle point kits. A few summers later when our parents started letting us stay home during the day without a babysitter I kept filling my free time with sewing. Whenever I ran into trouble I'd count down the hours/minutes until my mom got home to get me out of a bind.<br />
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I have mentioned here before that following patterns has never been my strong suit. Patterns for doll clothes and accessories were not as popular as they are now, so there were not many pattern options anyways, even if I had wanted or had access to something along those lines. I have also mostly been much happier to make up the pattern as I go. It's easy for me to visualize the end product and the steps to get there. I think this developed over time, but also has something to do with having a smidgen of the same skills as my dad. He's a carpenter and can build things with minimal measurements or drawings. When we build things together he only draws a picture so I can see it, not because he needs it. I'd like to think his ability either rubbed off on me or was just in my head to begin with. It was probably a mixture of the ability to visualize and many instances of trial and error that got me to the level of sewing I was at in middle school.<br />
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All through middle school we had to take Family Consumer Science, I usually messed up the cooking part but excelled at the sewing. We made lunch bags and stuffed toys. Some of the items we sewed I remember being bored by because they were too easy. I also finished projects so fast that I offered do my classmates projects secretly; I was such a rebel in sixth grade. This was the point where I switched from sewing bear clothes to sewing purses and making shoes. Yes shoes. I was positive I would be a shoe designer in the future and used all the available resources I had to make this dream a reality. At that point resources included wood and fabric. Not the best shoe making materials. I had a pair of "high heels" made out of plywood and an old closet rod. I had to add a wooden lip at the bottom of those shoes so my toes would not slip out of my 5 inch heels. This pair never really made it to the wearing stage, as I was barely able to walk normally as a 13 year old with <i>normal shoes</i>. I made one pair of "flip flops" out of solid blocks of oak that I cut out using a band saw and a pencil marking of the shape of my foot. Then I covered the wood with fabric and made fabric straps to keep them on my feet, which I used a staple gun to attach. I proudly wore them to school one morning. My pride lasted all of 10 minutes before I started clomping across the gym floor to get to the point where my friends always stood before school started. Everyone in the whole gym (all 4 grades of students) turned to look at who was making the huge racket. Every step made an echo, everyone stopped talking to stare and my face got redder and redder. That was the end of my shoe designing career and the beginning of my "awkward phase".<br />
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After giving up shoe creation I went back to sewing. I made a lot of little drawstring bags and several purses. My mom was still helping me a lot, and also sewing things for me that I could not do myself. I had a hard time getting my ideas from my brain onto paper and into her pattern minded head to get what I actually wanted. Many times she'd listen to what I wanted, then when we were buying fabric would get a pattern that kind of fit what I was describing and use that. It was so nice of her, but I am sure I was not as appreciative as I should have been at the time. I think my body shape at 13 did not help either. I was as tall as I am now in 7th grade, and about 50 pounds lighter with no "shape" to speak of. Clothes obviously did not fit me the way I expected because I was too busy imagining myself to look like the models in my Delia's catalog to realize what I actually looked like. A pencil with acne. You couldn't pay me enough money to agree to relive those years.<br />
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Not having items turn out the way I wanted them too frustrated me, but also fueled me. I kept trying, and proudly wore my creations to school despite the ridicule I am sure I endured. My sewing and crafting in general went through periods of great enthusiasm and periods of not being interested all through high school. In 11th grade I got a job working at the town dump; still the best job I've ever had to this day. Lots of people would bring in clothes to donate and my co-worker Cathy and I got first dibs. Some things were really cool but not exactly my style or size. I'd take interesting things home and make them bigger or smaller, or add panels of fabric at the bottom of pants to make them longer. This was super fun, and saved me a lot of money. One cute boy who moved from England senior year signed my yearbook; "you look pretty good for someone who gets all her clothes at the dump." My heart melted and I was sure that meant he was in love with me. He was not.<br />
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High school was also the time that my great Grandmother gave me her old feather weight sewing machine and my Grammy bought me a sewing machine of my own for Christmas. At 16 I had two sewing machines, talk about lucky. Having my own machines to figure out how to use, and inevitably mess up was big for me. I didn't have to worry about screwing something up on my moms fancier machine. I also had a license and money (hello dump job) so I could buy my own fabric, talk about revolutionary. I could pick out my own fabric and supplies instead of relying on my Mom to drive me and pay for things. High school ended, thank goodness, and I managed to make it out alive.<br />
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At the beginning of college I focused primarily on school, diving, and finding a boyfriend, and left the sewing machines at home. I did buy supplies and create things I'd been dreaming about over vacations and breaks from school though. Lots of belts and drawstring bags. Once senior year rolled around and I had my own place to live, and had secured a boyfriend, I started sewing again. I made myself a Halloween costume with no pattern. I also made a lot of throw pillows and curtains for every window in our three room apartment because that's what I thought you were supposed to do when you moved in with your serious boyfriend; serious meaning you'd been dating for a year.<br />
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After graduating I had a whole summer that I was kind of lost during. I lived with my Grammy and worked at the local swimming pool. I had a lot of free time so I sewed Charlie a quilt; again because I thought that was what you were supposed to do when you really really loved someone. After the summer was over my sewing mo-jo continued into graduate school. I had classes all day for a few days a week and then had a few days totally off to myself. I could not possible study or read textbooks the entire day; sewing was a welcomed reward for writing a paper or reading a few chapters. It also filled my time between waiting for Charlie to graduate from college and move in, and when he was working on the weekends at his retail job. At this point in time I started sewing clothes from scratch instead of modifying clothes I already had. I still needed a lot of help from my mom and would save projects for visits to Maine where she would help me sew zippers or explain where I had gone wrong. This is when I started keeping this blog. I had been following a few sewing blogs, and felt like I wanted to share my projects too. At the end of graduate school my friends and I formed the very short lived "sewing club" where I tried to teach them to sew. One friend already knew how, and the other spend her time making us a delicious dinner. She has since started sewing a t-shirt quilt, so I feel like I maybe helped inspire her a little bit.<br />
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After six years of "higher education" I graduated (thanks Mum and Dad) and Charlie and I moved to the town I got a job in. We got a two bedroom apartment because Charlie was sick of hearing the sewing machine, and sick of the mess my crafting left everywhere. We were engaged and a lot of my free time went into planning a wedding and worrying about tiny details that only I noticed. I did find time to sew purses and the occasional skirt and top for myself. In the last four years I have gone through periods of being totally into sewing, and not so into it. Mostly due to what else is going on in my life, not so much a lack of interest but a need or desire to focus on something else at the time. I cannot even begin to add up the amount of time I have spent sewing in my lifetime. I was reading recently about <a href="http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/creativity/flow">the idea of "flow"</a>, when you're so immersed in an activity that the steps come easily to you, you lose track of time, you don't worry about screwing things up, and the task is just hard enough to keep you interested but not so hard that you can't master it. I'd say this happens a lot of the time when I am sewing now. I know it didn't used to happen, when I was still learning. Now it comes easily and I could sew for 2 hours and it feels like 30 minutes. This is highly annoying to Charlie, because 5 more minutes turns into an hour and I do not even realize it. And now we're caught up. I can sew button holes, follow patterns, and for the most part sew things without bursting into frustrated tears and running to my mom.<br />
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I think this (insanely long) post does a good job of telling my sewing story, but also explaining why I am who I am. Sewing has been a big part of my life and has helped shape me into who I am today. I'd say I stick with things longer than most people, think more outside the box, and am more creative than others in part thanks to my experiences with sewing.<br />
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Do you have anything that you think has helped shape you as a person?<br />
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LaurenLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-38916385390074364112014-10-28T17:00:00.000-04:002014-10-28T17:00:01.897-04:00Adult Sayings/ Mantras<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been reading a lot lately about Mantras and sayings and "adult wisdom" etc. My friend commented the other day that I was one of the most "adult-ish" people he knew. I thought that was funny since I feel like the most un-adult person I know. Both ideas got me thinking about my personal mantras or things I say to myself to not flip out/be a better person, and to be more "adult". I realized that a lot of them came directly from my grandmother's mouth, and song lyrics. Just a few that I've been repeating to myself lately are:<br />
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<li><b>"If money can fix it, it's not a problem"</b>. My grandmother used to say this a lot. It doesn't mean you should just throw money at all of your problems. It means that if something can be fixed (with money) or replaced (with money) then why waste time being upset or worrying about it. </li>
<li><b>"Act the way you want to feel."</b> This is a new one for me and needs to be repeated often. It doesn't mean be fake, but if you want to be happy you should probably act happy. Pretty obvious but I seem to tell myself this 3 times a day.</li>
<li><b>"You can't always get what you want, but you get what you need."</b> Who doesn't love to sing the Rolling Stones to themselves? Whenever I want to stomp my feet in 2 year old tantrum style I try to remind myself that things don't always happen the way you want them to, but you'll end up getting what you really <i>need </i>in the end. </li>
<li><b>"If it will only take a minute do it now." </b>Just doing something, even if you hate it (switching the laundry, taking out the compost/garbage, emptying the dishwasher) is so much easier than thinking about it how much you hate doing it, or having to constantly remind yourself to do it. </li>
<li><b>"We shall all get there someday."</b> This is from a longer quote from Winnie the Pooh, that I absolutely love. It says "Rivers know this; there is no hurry we shall all get there someday." When I was freaking out that our wedding wasn't starting at exactly 4 pm as stated on the invitation because guests were still arriving, not because I wasn't ready, my maid of honor asked me to repeat this quote to her. Saying it instantly calmed me down (well, except then 3 minutes later I flipped off my uncle, whatever). The end result was that I was married, it could have happened at exactly 4, or at 5, or 4:23. In the end who cares. I think about this a lot and try to share it with friends, some of whom comment on how they are not "where they should be" in terms of dating, being married, having a job, or a house, or a dog or a baby. Everyone gets where they're meant to go eventually. </li>
<li><b>"Everything happens for a reason." </b>I've written about this before, but I really do think that things happen the way they are supposed it. It's easy for me to say this about past experiences, hindsight is 20/20 after all, but harder to remember in the moment. </li>
<li><b>"You have to work hard to be lucky."</b> It kind of goes against the last saying, but you do have to work hard to get things you want. This was actually in a fortune cookie and I have it in my bathroom.</li>
<li><b>"Be grateful."</b> It seems I only remind myself to be grateful when something bad happens to someone else. I'm grateful I don't have Ebola, but only because other people do, and I've been hearing about it. Prior to hearing about Ebola I would not have. </li>
<li><b>"You can only control yourself."</b> This has only recently become a saying of mine as it was news to me a few months ago. Mind blowing, yet so obvious. This applies to every aspect of my life and has helped me get over many small, and a few large instances of annoyance/ aggravation. </li>
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Do you have any "mantras"? Anything you say to yourself to help you get through a rough day?</div>
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Lauren </div>
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Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014265571896330704.post-92031732137759248422014-10-23T16:30:00.000-04:002014-10-23T16:30:01.649-04:00Fall Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My Summer post was much longer which just tells you that I had a lot more time to read this summer. I set a goal to myself to read (even for a minute) everyday. That has kept me going. Usually I stop reading until Christmas or so once school starts. Due to this new goal I have been watching significantly less TV, although going to bed later than I used to, for the most part, but sleeping better due to not looking at a screen for a few hours before bed. Enough rambling though here are the books I've read recently.<br />
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<u>The Happiness Project</u> by Gretchen Rubin- I heard about this through another blogger and thought it seemed interesting. It's about a woman setting resolutions every month to make her a happier person. It's the reason I set the goal to read everyday. I would not say I am an unhappy person, but reading this book made me think a bit more about things I could do to be happier. I read it in the mornings and on my lunch break, since it was factual and not something I really wanted to think about before bed. I'm hoping to keep this trend going as well, by reading non-fiction in the morning and fiction at night. I think I kept annoying Charlie and my friends by talking about the book too much.<br />
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<u>Eleanor and Park</u> by Rainbow Rowell- This was reviewed by a blogger so I decided to read it. I didn't realize until I asked for it at the library that it was a young adult book. I had been trying to take a break from those, but oh well. The book was about two high school students who fall in love. Seems lame, but it was actually really good because the girl, Eleanor, has a terrible life and the boy, Park, kind of makes it better. In case you were not aware, I love sad books about depressing topics, so I liked this book a lot. It reminded me a little bit of <u>The Glass Castle</u>. As I said it's a YA novel, but had some pretty harsh language and broached other topics I would not necessarily want a youngster to read. Although whenever I talk about about censoring teenagers book choices I remember that my mom let me read <u>She's Come Undone</u> when I was 13. So see, I loved sad novels even back then! Thanks for not taking inappropriate book away from me Mum. You probably knew I would just sneak it anyways.<br />
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<u>All The Light We Cannot See</u> by Anthony Doerr- I also heard about this book through another blogger. I really need to make some real friends apparently. Dare I say it's the best book I've read all year. Or at least top 3, but most likely number one. I loved everything about this book, even the ending, although I wanted the book to go on forever because I loved it so much. The authors writing style was so beautiful. I read that it took him ten years to write the book and I believe it. Every word flowed so well and painted wonderful images in my brain. It is told from multiple perspectives over many years, flipping back and forth between the years. It's about a young girl who is blind and lives in France at the beginning of the Nazi occupation and details her story throughout the war. It also follows the life of a boy who is an orphan in Germany and is sent to a Nazi training school where he learns to locate where enemy (to the Germans) radio transmissions are coming from. I cannot say enough good things about this book. It actually makes me want to start a book club so I can have someone to discus it with.<br />
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I knew it would be hard to follow <u>All The Light We Cannot See</u> so I am starting <u>Unbroken</u> now. It was recommended to me by a <i>real life friend</i>. I am also hoping to get my hands on Lena Dunham's book <u>Not That Kind Of Girl</u>, but it's brand new so I might have to buy it instead of wait 6 years on the interlibrary loan list. I also want to read Amy Poehler's book <u>Yes Please</u>, but it's also new and probably has a 10 year waiting list. Christmas ideas people! Dad! Dad I'm talking to you.<br />
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<b>What have you been reading?</b> I love recommendations.<br />
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LaurenLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15475675979256074591noreply@blogger.com2