200 posts!

Since this is post 200 I will be giving away two little somethings. Halloween is coming up and it is a favorite time of year for me. This was last year's costume:

Ok, Ok. That isn't really me. It's Elvira. And I know she sets women's lib back like 300 years but darnit, she is funny.

Oh right, back to the giveaway. Halloween is a special time of year for me, and since it happens to correspond to my 200th post I will be giving away two Halloween quilt gifties which I have yet to determine. I'm thinking a yard of Halloween fabric and some kind of cute pincushion for each at the moment. You know me - I am terrible at posting pics off of my camera so even if I had the giveaway items on hand I would be too lazy to post a picture.

Vampires make very good pin er, stake-cushions, no?

So here is how you could win a giftie. The Husband (that is not him above, btw) is fascinated with Vampires. He recently asked me this question: how many vampires get burned (er, literally) because they forget about daylight savings? You know, they climb out of their coffins for a night on the town and suddenly it's still light out at 8? All you have to do is give me a response to this query in my comments. I'll close out entries at end-of-day October 4th, and post the winners the following week.

Good luck, and happy vamping!

PS - postal costs being what they are, I'm restricting this to residents of the United States and Canada. Sorry to international folks, it's nothing personal. It's just too expensive especially after ponying up money for the prize.

One coat for The Boy - done!

I finished the wool winter coat I was making for The Boy this past Friday. Yippee skippee! (Does anyone else remember Miss Piggy saying that on the Muppet Babies cartoon?)

Isn't that special? (Another quote that dates me.)

Tonight it is super-windy at our house due to the weather moving North from Hanna or maybe Gustav. I've already lost track of which storm is to blame. The Husband's parents called a bit ago to say they had lost power. Our lights have flickered a few times but so far it's been nothing but an inconvenience as the Kiddies are scared of the wind. My heart goes out to all of those people who are displaced, lost, injured or worse because of the hurricanes. Sigh. It always has to be something, doesn't it?

Oh. Another thing. I have recently become hooked on Project Runway. What the heck. Why did it take me so long to get turned on to it? I like sewing, right? I guess it is mostly because we only have one television at our house (we're practically in the fifties! Though it is a color model with a remote control) and The Husband is most often dominating it. If I want to watch a show of my own, I have to tape them and watch when he isn't around. Then I eventually get sick of being so far behind because he's always around and I dump them without even watching them. But lo, The Husband actually watched it with me (I think he was trying to ring up some points--if you know what I mean) and proclaimed it to be "pretty cool"! So now I can watch it without guilt and without having to make up some crazy contorted television schedule.

I know. A normal person would just get another TV. I guess you don't know me very well if you think that I am normal.

In other news, The Girl started a ballet class and she is freakin' adorable about it. And we are trying very hard to convince The Boy that Indian Guides or Boy Scouts would be a fun thing to do. And keep my mom and uncle in your prayers - in a few weeks she will be heading to Seattle to donate something or other blood-related to her older brother who is suffering through his second bout of cancer. She donated um, something from her blood a few years ago when he went through his first round. He was eventually declared cancer-free but it has unfortunately made a return trip. I am sure I have been told exactly what the thing is that she is donating but since it is technical jargon and I am terrible with names--even names that are not associated with people--I won't even attempt to say it because I'm sure I'll say something crazy-impossible and folks will wonder what is wrong with me, or my uncle's doctors.

Oh! And this is my 199th post. Look for a giveaway when I do my 200th...which should be sometime this year. Oi.

Fitness Update

Hey, fellow bloggers! Long time, no blog. Actually I am reading blogs. I'm just not doing much commenting or writing of blogs.

So The Boy started first grade last week. There was much drama since the school sent him home on the bus to an empty house instead of sending him to the Y program that I'd spent good money for to make sure someone was watching him. Sometimes I cannot believe how immobile people are. The school knew that they didn't know who was supposed to be in the Y program that took place after school in their own cafeteria...so instead of calling up the Y and saying, hey, wassup with my lack of list? They. Did. Nothing. I'm so glad people capable of such rational thought patterns and actions are educating my kid. Actually, I have to say that the teacher attempted rational action. It was the principal and secretary who dropped the ball, IMO.

That's thankfully all been ironed out now, though, so I can stop being bitter about it. Right?

In fitness news - I have cut back the length of my runs because it is getting dark out earlier. (Wah! I hate when the days get shorter.) But I am still running 3 or 4 times a week. Most days I do a 2 mile circuit that takes me about half an hour. I know, I know--I am probably the slowest jogger in the history of jogging. Most people can probably walk 2 miles in half an hour. But hey, I am off my behind and doing something. So you gotta give me that. Just call me pokey.

In sewing news - I finished the blankie for my cousin, who has just moved and now my excuse for not sending it is that I don't know her new address. Really it's just me being lazy but it is also true that I no longer know where she lives. I am coming round the home stretch on The Boy's winter coat. It is turning out quite well. It's the first time I've tried an Ottubre pattern and while I wasn't too keen on transferring the pattern & having to add my own seam allowance, it has come together pretty well. I had a few moments of huh? while trying to read the instructions. There are no pictures so that puts a visual/spatial person like me at a disadvantage, but I eventually figured it out. Basically all I have left is hemming the bottom, adding a few lines of topstitching, and putting on the toggle buttons & snaps. Woohoo!

Goals for September:

• Finish The Boy's coat
• Start The Girl's coat
• Maybe finally bind The Girl's quilt
• Get moving on Halloween costumes! The Boy wants to be Annikin (sp?) and The Girl is waffling between a computer, a cat, and Sleeping Beauty.