Highlights of the Last Week

It's been a great week and there are so many things to choose from for highlights. Here are just a few:

• Lunch with the brother, SIL, and nephew at Snappy Dragon -- great company and yummy salt and pepper chicken
• The new cabinets getting done
• Ballard Art Walk and seeing Kim's photos
• Potluck with friends in Pioneer Square
• Seeing the documentary Nobody Knows and hearing Margaret Young and Darius Gray talk about their expereince making the documentary

There's just so much good stuff going on! What was the highlight of your last week?

The Living Room I've Always Wanted

After getting the walls painted, I really wanted to get built in cabinets this summer. I just couldn't bear the thought of putting back the white Ikea bookshelves and we need storage space in the living room. Also, we broke the stand that the TV and other equipment were on when we were moving things out for the painters.

This was our opportunity! We hired a carpenter that was recommended by my hair dresser. Nice connection, don't you think? I think he did a really nice job on the work.

My very favorite part is the new mantle. It doesn't slope forward like the old one and it looks so beautiful in the room. You can't see it very well in the pictur, but it has three levels on the front, which is just the right amount of detail for the room.

I guess now we'll have to have a party so everyone can come over and see it -- everyone will be invited, even you folks who don't live in Seattle!

Playing on my iPod This Week (Sep 15) -- Carbon Leaf

I love the band Carbon Leaf and their wonderful alt country sound. Don't let that word country scare you off. it's not country music at all. I have a few albums, but I think my favorite is Echo Echo. I like every song on that one. Indian Summer is a close second.

I had a hard time finding any songs on YouTube withe decent quality, but this one is good. It's Learn to Fly, off the latest album Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat.

One Crafty Gal

I laugh a little because I like to think I'm crafty, but over the last few years it just hasn't been happening for me. I've made the baby blankets, but few other crafts or sewing projects. My excuse is that I don't have the time, but I seem to get through all the programs on the DVR, so it really can't be that. Whatever the reason, it's probably the same reason that I don't ge as many books read as I used to.

For the SIL's birthday, I wanted to something crafty. I ended up taking an extra five weeks to get it done and it's really something small that I should have been able to do in one or two evenings. Hopefully I can plan better for Christmas crafting. Those gifts need to be on time. So, last week I finally mailed out the SIL's birthday present (and her birthday was only July 29th). I thought it turned out super cute. The only issue was the timing.

The pattern is from Sublime Stitching. I love their old-is-new-is-old sensibility. This pattern was Kurt Halsey design that is so cute. I have several other patterns I picked up, too. They give you a discount if you buy three, so who can resist?

What's Your Favorite Color?

I'm not sure why, but it was alway a question we got asked as kids. "What's your favorite color?" We all had a favorite and we didn't budge from that favorite.

I can still hear Granny laughing about asking Jason what his favorite color was. His young voice would answer "Gween. My favowit!" Everyone knew that Jason loved green and Whitney's favorite was yellow. I'm pretty sure it's the same today. They always had gifts given in those colors and they loved it. Both grandmothers knit sweaters in their favorite colors and made blankets and quilts in those colors. There was no end of creativity in their favorite colors. And honestly, it was really sweet. It was a given that they'd like the color.

As children, Whitney would often get a gift in yellow and I would get a corresponding gift in pink. It was the logical thing to do. Yellow and pink for the girls. And I'm pretty sure Colin got blue. So it was green and blue for the boys. Now, Colin's favorite color was green as well, but you couldn't really do two things in the same color. You couldn't tell them apart. Fights were bound to break out. They had to be different.

It was worse for me. My favorite color was, and still is, blue. For some reason, grandmothers think their granddaughters shouldn't get gifts in blue. Blue is for boys. Instead, I always got pink. I know most girls go through a pink phase, and I probably did as well. I still love how my room was decorated with the pink bedspread with large red ladybugs on it when I was very young, before I was sharing a room with Whitney. Once we started sharing, everything was in pink and yellow. I secretly (or maybe not-so-secretly) wanted blue.

I'll admit that I love the Holly Hobbie blankets that were made for Whitney and me, hers bound with yellow on the back and mine in pink. And the lovely crocheted afghan in pink is wonderful. The handwork is beautiful. I'm certainly not ungrateful. It's just that I wanted it in blue.

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Entered in Scribbit's Write-Away Contest for September.

Just Not Right

I don't feel right today. (And don't tell me I don't look right -- I can figure that out on my own.) Last night I had an amazing headache. I'm one who really doesn't get sick much at all. I just get the requisite cold once a year and have some seasonal allergies. It's really normal boring stuff. But the headache last night, and what I'll call the hangover that it's induced today, are really not anything I'm used to. I got home from work and sat on the couch for an hour an a half (while the dear DH made dinner and brought me food) and then went to my bed and stayed there until 9:00. And I really didn't feel better, even after two rounds of high-dosage Advil.

I'm not really writing this to complain, though it may look and sound like a complaint. I'm really writing it because I was so overcome with feeling horrible that I could not believe that I couldn't just "get over it" and get the things done that I needed to. I was supposed to go to the store to pick up eggs and then make a cake. I couldn't do it. At the end of the night, as I was going to bed, I realized that this is how many people feel all the time. It helped me to feel much more compassionate toward people dealing with cronic illnes or pain.

What a Week!

I haven't posted much in the last week, because it was busy, busy, busy! The DH and I were traveling again, this time to Boise, so we had lot's of fun with family. Here are the highlights of the last seven days:

• Traveling to Boise for Art in the Park


• Staying at my brother's house and being entertained by the kids


• Pumpkin waffles for breakfast


• Celebrating the brother's birthday


• Finding out our new cabinets are almost done

Playing on my iPod This Week (Sep 8) -- Tristan Prettyman

I heard Tristan Prettyman on the radio and thought I might enjoy more of her music. I listened to a bunch of stuff on iTunes and just had to get the album. It's great for easy Summer listening -- even as we move into Fall. I got the album Hello...x and have really enjoyed it.

I really like the song Hello.


YouTube only has bad recordings of it, but you can also see it at Tristan's site.

The Best of the Week

Keeping the tradition of the weekly highlights, these are the best parts of the last seven days:

• Phad Thai at the Raiders game on Friday
• Sarah coming to visit (and going to the art museum with her)
• Meeting Sarah's friend Anna -- what a hoot! We loved her.
• Sleeping in on Monday
• My anniversary flowers looking even more beautiful today than when I got them over a week ago.

What's going on with you? Any highlights?

Playing on my iPod This Week (Sep 1) -- Neko Case

This is one of my long-time favorites. Neko Case was at Bumbershoot this weekend, but I didn't make it there to see her. When I checked out her site, I saw that she was in Boise on Friday night, so my friends in Bosie probably missed her as well. My favorite album is Blacklisted, but she's got some great songs on other albums as well.

I love the song Lady Pilot, recorded here with mediocre quality:


Warning, this really is part of the Alt Country genre. It's not country music, but it has a definite not to the country/folk feelings.

The Restaurant in Review

For our anniversary, last night, we went to El Gaucho for dinner. The DH had heard about it and I had friends who recommended it as well. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed our dinner, but I'm going to have to give it a thumbs-down as an overall recommendation.

First, the good: The restaurant looks very fancy and we had an easy time parking at the Belltown location. They also have valet parking for only $7, which is less than the lot accross the street. We had a wonderful waiter who was very attentive and friendly. There was a pianist playing during our dinner that added to the ambience. We also enjoyed the food. We both had steaks and I had a salad with both shrimp and lobster in it that was very tasty. They bring fruit, cheese, and nuts to every table after dinner. The cheese was fabulous! Plus, the company couldn't be beat!

Now for the not-so-good: The prices are insane. This was by far the most expensive meal I have ever eaten. Ever. When I think about the most expensive meal, I hope to have the most outstanding food. the food was good, but nowhere near outstanding. I have to say that I would not recommend El Gaucho simply because of the price. Also, to put things in perspective, we had one starter, one salad, two steaks, and two sides. All that for a price I can't even type because it's so astronomical. We have enjoyed Daniel's Broiler and Palisade, to outstanding restuarants, that have cost $100 less for the meal. We did not get an extra $100 worth out of this. My steak was OK. The DH's steak was good. We've had outstanding steaks at Daniel's for much less money.

The final breakdown:
Service 5/5
Ambiance 5/5
Price 1/5

Food 3/5

Total 3.5/5

Highlights

Today was a really nice day, but it's been a pretty nice week as well. Highlights this week include:

• Fresh Hermiston watermelon (it really is #1 on my highlight list for a reason)
• Driving with my DH this weekend
• Roses delivered to work on Monday
• Anniversary dinner with the DH this evening

I hope you're having a great week too!

Three Years Today

It's been three years since the day the DH and I got married. Our wedding day was wonderful and the three years in between have just gotten better and better.

Watermelon, Finally!

We had a VERY busy weekend, but lots of fun none the less. We went to the temple with the ward on Friday night, visited with a bunch of our friends afterwards until late in the evening, and then had a short night.

Saturday morning, we got up and headed Southeast to Hermiston. On the way there, I crocheted around this blanket:

The DH chose the fabric because it's for his grandson, due to make his entrance into the world in October. He kept hounding me about getting it done in time. It was a piece of cake.

We got to The DH's sister's house around 4:00 in the afternoon and got to see the outstanding watermelon's and canteloupe that Gus found for us at a farm. We also got to take a tour of his vegetable garden and see (and taste) some of the great produce he's growing. That evening took Gus and Shannon out for Gus' birthday and ate wonderful Thai food. Mmm!

On Sunday, we went to church with Gus and Shannon and then hung out with them and helped prepare for the birthday party. Gus smoked three chickens and gave us one of them to take home with us. They were SO good! We had a really nice time at the party and got to hang out with their wonderful friends and family. After the party, we left with watermelon, canteloupe, frozen chickens, eggs, one smoked chicken, green peppers, and leftovers from the party.

On the way home, I crocheted around this blanket:

I chose this fabric and I think it will be fun for my co-worker's little boy due later this year.

We got home pretty late on Sunday night, so we were totally beat on Monday morning, but it was worth it to have some quality family time.

Thanks, DH!

I had a wonderful surprise today at work. Around mid-morning, I got a call from the front desk telling me I had a floral delivery. The thought that crossed my mind was, "who would be sending me flowers?" Well, of course it was the DH.

Our anniversary isn't until Wednesday, but he had the brilliant idea to send them today so I could enjoy them all week. Fresh flowers are one of the small splurge's I indulge in (that and regular pedicures) and the DH knows that I really enjoy them.

I love that he's done something that is purely for my enjoyment. Thanks, so much, dear! I really do think they're beautiful.

He's a keeper that one!

Olympic Love

I'm such a sucker for the Olympics. I love the highs and lows and the interesting sports that you never see anywhere else.

Last night, I watched some of the rhythmic gymnastics that were on the DVR. Did you know there was a group rhythmic gymnastics event? I actually found it a little weird. I'm also a little confused by the new trampoline event. This still looks like a backyard entertainment, not a competetive sport to me, but I'll admit that I watched a bunch of the event for both men and women.

I also watched some of the track and field events. I loved the women's gold medal discuss winner. What a champ! She's a giant and talked about Mary Lou Retton being her idol when she was young. It was her dream to be in the Olympics and then, to top it off, she also won a gold medal.

I also loved watching the platform diving last night. Laura Wilkinson was fantastic. She didn't win a medal, but she showed that she's a class act all the way. She was the diving team captain and set a great example of sportsmanship (which is sadly lacking in the running events). She placed 11th and said she wouldn't change a thing and was honored to be AT the Olympics. I was really impressed. She was emotional and the interviewer asked her why, assuming it was because she didn't medal. She said it was just really overwhelming thinking about it being her last competition and that made her emotional. I loved it!

I also felt really sorry for Nastia Liukin. Can you imagine having a hard day of training with one of the most demanding coaches in the business, going home to relax, and having him be at the dinner table with you? I think having your father as your coach is my idea of hell (no offense dad!). And he's one of the toughest. He didn't celebrate his daughter's silver medal in uneven bars because he was mad at the scoring. She got a silver medal at the Olympics! Hundreds of other women showed up and didn't even make it to the finals, much less get a medal, and he doesn't even care to celebrate the silver medal.

Overall, I wish we saw a few more of the events that the US doesn't dominate. Where is the syncronized swimming on NBC, I ask you. I haven't seen any of it. Why?!?

More Highlights

Background: when we were growing up, we always sat down together as a family for dinner. The TV was always off and we all had to stay at the table until we were excused. During dinner, dad would ask each of us to share the highlight of our day. Note that there are two brilliant parenting examples here. 1) The whole family was together once every day. 2) We actually had to talk to each other when we were together.

There are a couple of results of this (and other family stuff), the most important being that I actually like my family and consider them friends. I know a lot of you like your families, but as I meet more people, I'm amazed at how many people really don't consider their siblings or parents friends. It makes me realize that I shouldn't take it for granted and I feel VERY blessed.

So, enough of the other stuff. It's time to get on with the highlight of the past week. I've had a really good past seven days, so this is kind of hard to narrow down, but here are the very best bits of the past week:

• Sunday dinner with the family. And I know I've talked about the fried chicken and new potatoes too much. The best part really was being with the Boise part of the family.
• Seeing Aida (the opera) with the DH and our friend Ken. It really was great. I usually get bored about half way through a lot of operas, but this one held my attention to the very end -- after four acts at 11:00 p.m.
• Watching Mama Mia! with my mom and sisters.
• Celebrating Mac's birthday on Sunday (and her actual birthday was yesterday, when she turned 13).

How was the last week for you?

Mostly Finished Project

These are the two minky blankets that I made this weekend for a woman I work with who had twins four months ago. I know what you're thinking -- I was supposed to make these four months ago. I thought about it. I really did. But they just didn't get done.

I was worried about cutting the fabric, so my paralysis took over until I could take the fabric to my mom's house and cut it there. There, I had the huge table and the big cutting mat and the mom to supervise. It worked out quite nicely (except for the three squares I cut too small that had to be fixed because there wasn't enough extra fabric to just cut new ones).

You can even see the top-stitching I did on the close-up. I sewed very slowly and carefully and I didn't even panic when the bobin ran out half way through the second blanket.

Now I'm excited to give them away for the cute twins!

Playing on my iPod This Week (Aug 18) -- Coldplay

I just got the new album by Coldplay, Viva La Vida, and I hadn't realized that I could enjoy this band so much. I really love the whole album. Don't tell the DH, but I keep listening to it over and over in my car. He thinks that's crazy. What, me crazy? It might be true...

I think track 8, Violet Hill, is my favorite track, but I think the whole album works together without sounding all the same. Go take a listen! It's good stuff.


And I think I figured out the YouTube video embedding. Enjoy!

Mama Mia!

I'm in Boise right now, for a quick trip to see a movie with the girls. I guess it's a pretty expensive movie when you think about it that way. Let's not think about it that way. It's also a trip to see my cute nieces and nephews, eat home-grown tomatoes, and see Mama Mia.

The trip to Boise was quick and easy. I ended up sitting next to my doctor on the plane. It's so very odd to see people completely out of context, but my doctor is pretty cool and it was a fine flight. When I got to Boise, Mom, Whitney, Annzy, and I went out to lunch for pizza, pasta, and salad. The food was yummy and the company was even better. As long as we were out, we thought we might as well check out Lee's Candies and Anthropology. Then we headed out to the movies.

Mama Mia! was exactly what I was expecting, and I really enjoyed it. The story is basically a bunch of ABBA songs tied together with a plot line. The story is sweet and the characters are all two-dimensional and the music (if you like ABBA) is great. What really makes this movie work is that it never takes itself seriously. From the very beginning, it's fun and funny. Everyone does a lot of singing and dancing and it works, as long as you aren't looking for Oscar worthy performances. Meryl Streep did a great job with the singing and the dancing and the acting. She's so versatile, it's just amazing. Pierce Brosnan, however, CANNOT SING. His singing was almost painful to hear, but it just worked with the humor of the movie. Then, the credits were hysterical. All the main actors were in the super glitzy 70's type costumes singing the ABBA songs and hamming it up. Priceless!


We also ended up seeing Penelope later that evening on video. It's another movie I can highly recommend. I think it was in the theatres for about 10 minutes, but the movie was great. It's also appropriate for almost any age. Even Brooke (at 3) seemed to enjoy it.

Today, we're hanging out and I'm working on a little project. I'll post pictures later. Oh -- and the best part of the trip comes later this afternoon when my mom makes my all-time favorite dinner. I'm really looking forward to that.