In few words: I recently bought 'the first house' with my husband, dog, cat and guinea pig in St. Paul, MN. I love cooking, baking, making stuff, music, movies and snuggling.
I know this is ‘cheating’ but i posted my last thing-a-day tonight because tomorrow, as soon as I step out the doors of work, we are on our way to South Dakota for a wedding. Here is the basket my husband and I put together for them. It includes the wicker basket, bamboo cutting board, bread knife and homemade whole grain bread.
Kid’s shirt with tree applique. Got to try 2 of my 35 stitches on my new sewing machine. It rules. A critter may be added near the tree at a later time. But for now, I like this.
it’s 3 days shy of a month and here I am looking back on my posts and yes I have been productive and creative but I have not posted anything utilizing my one craft that I went to school for or use everyday; writing.
here’s where the tricky part comes - how can I gracefully transition writing about writing to writing about something else? How about I tell you about my crazy bus? (that was easy)
Since moving to St. Paul, MN I have come to love owning a house, having a yard (I am sure I will enjoy this more once I get my garden growing) and being able to place my sewing machine in a stable place e.g., not on the kitchen table when I need it for 5 minutes. But the one thing that I have come to loathe is riding the bus.
I was used to riding the ’suburban bus’ when we lived in Eagan, MN. The seats were cushy. It smelled nice. The bus was always the right temp. And, most of all, the people looked and smelled like me. The commute was a bit longer than I would have liked (40 minutes) but at least I was comfortable and I never had to drive (the bus station was 3 blocks from our apartment).
Before we bought our house, I did a lot of research on buses, shopping centers, libraries etc. to make sure it was the right location (I really need a library within a few blocks of me!) Along with that, I planned my bus route. If I were to drive 10 minutes, I could catch yet another ’surburban bus’ and leave my car at the park n’ ride. But if I didn’t want to drive (which is a lot because of the weather and time) I walked 3 blocks, caught a bus to downtown St. Paul (2 miles away) then caught another bus to downtown Minneapolis (where I work). The commute time was about 35 minutes if my connectors line up but most of the time they don’t. That’s when I end up with the creepers downtown at the bus station.
Everyone knows, no matter where you are in a metro area, the main bus hub is going to be scary. Filled with ‘professional bus riders’ you get your fair share of looks and smells that’s for sure. One thing I cannot stand is stale smoke and unfortunately, when it’s cold in Minnesota, that’s what people do - smoke. All the time. Right before they get on the bus and then save the rest of the cig they can’t finish then sit next to me. Urgh.
Along with the smokers, the buses smell so bad. A city bus smells like feet, candy, smokes and bodies….Indian food, McDonalds, wet dog…I could go on and on.
One of my first days riding the bus, a guy sat next to me, then moved a seat and started saying “Elizabethan” over and over. Yet another morning (6:45am) a lady got on at a stop with a 40oz in her hand - 1/2 full. Surely that isn’t legal. I know there is a site online http://www.bustales.com/ to submit your crazy tales and believe me, if these keep up, which I know they will, you will see my submissions on there a lot.
I can’t crab about it too much though and I try not to because really, it’s nice to have someone drive you to and from work even if the people riding along with you aren’t polished or demure. Plus it’s cheap and is a step in the right direction for the environment.
I made this card for my friend who is getting married this weekend. Accompanied by 2 tags which will be tied on the homemade bread I make for her basket. That will be pictured later this week.
Here is yet another scarf (sorry…they are really easy to make). Unfortunately, this one is not for me it is for a friend who is helping me with some graphic design stuff. I hope she likes it as much as I do.
The moon was huge early this morning. We were driving on a bumpy road - it is the lighter white scribble on the right.
I went bowling today. My score was 104 and it was the highest of my group of 8….we were excellent bowlers.
Eat your heart out Dude.
Here is a long skinny scarf that I made that can be a human scarf, doggy scarf or a belt (not pictured but it works).
We are on a mini-vacation right now and although I am knitting on a project, I have not completed it.
My thing today is not making any plans. This is hard for me because I love to make plans and write lists…but today I am not going to do any of that. It will be great!
Today my mom and I wrote out a check to the Secretary of the State to register our small business.
It felt really official and exciting.
This apron was made from Amy Butler’s book In Stitches….
I finished it this morning before I went to work and didn’t have time to iron it.
I loves….
After juicing, you are left with a crap load of pulp. What do you do with that pulp?
We made Sunflower Carrot Granola. A bit moist but keeps great in the fridge and tastes amazing!
I am taking a yoga class today and in lieu of a non-stinky mat, I made some yoga mat spray….
There isn’t much to look at considering its a clear liquid in a spray bottle. Here is the recipe
3 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. Rubbing Alcohol
10 drops Eucalyptus, Tea Tree and Lavender oil
Its yummy.
