but what about the craft times?

this weekend was a crafty weekend. with upcoming birthdays, an upcoming london adventure for which I'd like to be accessorized on the cheap, and a large collection of fabric inherited on a recent trip to the valleys, my creative juices were flowing.

and here are the products of my efforts:

two zippered wristlets

and a shoulder bag

complete with a pocket!

a dress is also well underway...but pics of that when it is finished!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

green rivers

green shakes

green cars

green dogs

and green hats.

"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand."

happy st. patrick's day!

please enjoy my st. patrick's day wishes

and admire my green velvet cake (think red velvet but green) cupcakes.

the batter...it reminds me of the chicago river (pics to come tomorrow!)

The baked, but unfrosted cupcakes....

and the finished product....

could those be off season elf-boots?

we spent the weekend doing laundry downtown which means that I lugged my life on the el...getting on I may have clipped this gentleman's shoes with my rolling suitcase...I turned and apologized quickly, and he assured me it was ok. and then I noticed his shoes.

the last 2 inches of these shoes were too narrow for toes to fit in...and they were all scrunched and tilted. I wanted to discuss these with nick...but he is not always the most observant of his el surroundings like these...so I pulled out my camera.

i've always thought that the sounds digital cameras make were annoying...so I turn them off immediately...and now this move is paying off...spy camera...am I taking a pic to discuss my surroundings later..or am I sending an innocent text message.

let it be known that this man's shoes got even better since when he got off i noticed the ends of the didnt even touch the ground...these shoes I did not understand...unless perhaps he had webbed duck feet. and i needed my pic to discuss. and discuss we did.

if only I'd pulled out the camera for the pic of drunk man with green suspenders...so I'd have a visual element to pair with his story. on the phone...gets asked what time it is...stares at his digital watch for a min or so...then hits a button and gets back to his call...8:30 he says. silly drunk man.

to buy or not to buy, that is the question

aka contemplations of the self-gifter

after a few month of way to high credit card bills and a not so rapidly growing savings account I decided to swear off self present buying for a while. and so far so good...half way into my next credit card cycle, less than a third of my normal purchasing made.

I have been good. after 15 min of contemplating purchases I walked out of the REI store empty handed. I put items in my shopping card at on-line places...but never go to get my credit card. I've window shopped longingly...but remembered the lessons of the girl in the green scarf. I've been strong.

I feel as though this may be changing. I've been thinking a lot about buying an ipod touch...Im one who likes to travel light, but is addicted to staying in touch in my electronic world, and so lug my computer with me on all my adventures. (thank goodness for regular camping trips when I go off-grid and experience a healthy dose of electronics-free time)

the thought of internet that can fit in my pocket is quite appealing. more and more places are offering free wi-fi (Mc. Donalds! really...like you need to surf the net while eating your chicken nuggets and sipping a shamrock shake??) which means traveling light AND feeding my addiction (the technology one...not the shamrock shake one...more on that later)...the desire for which is strong...and I am weak.

I'd buy the baby 8 GB...no need to replace my fabulously large ipod classic still in tip top condition. and really as my oh so astute roommate says I'd actually be "saving money because then you will no longer be tempted to buy an iphone which has monthly phonebills".

but yet the question remains....do I need another present?

perhaps I do...

auto show

we went to the chicago auto show a few weeks ago...never got around to posting anything, and so decided not to. but then I found this amongst the pics we took. and a post had to be made. purely for the enjoyment of this.

more pics can be found here!

stations of the fish

My parents were in town last weekend and my dad wanted to have dinner on friday night at a fish fry. so I scoured the internet reading church bulletins till i found one that was reasonably close. St. Hilary's it would be. it promised fried fish, mac & cheese, fries, sweet table, coffee, and a cash bar. they suggested to stop in before or after stations....we decided we'd go during. and thus we have the stations of the fish.

station 1: make fish faces in preparation

station 2: dive in...being sure to get your $8 worth

station 3: hit up the cash bar...nothing like helping out the parish a bit more

station 4: let the catholic guilt take over and hide the remnants of your second helpings you couldn't handle.

station 5: play with your food.

station 6: make more fish faces since you've now eaten your weight in deep fried fish

station 6b: make turtle?? faces.

blog face-lift

I thought it was time for a change....

thoughts?