tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-181023122024-03-05T20:27:01.066-05:00Tales of a Mad TatterCraftiness, Thriftiness, BloginessThe Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-53427636357381583102014-01-06T20:00:00.000-05:002014-01-07T09:36:51.603-05:00Juice Day 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsLIZFWai-ccJ9qwEClzSR31SkrmM5NxbRJEAgIz4L8UV8UvSU5yoDZJG1RWHuwRHu2-35hm0bM2G-XChx5lWjgHVXcz9OW24jKDJq7fLF2hyphenhyphenGqWtcshz38txCudLMTQmRBk5/s1600/IMG_20140106_195225_232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsLIZFWai-ccJ9qwEClzSR31SkrmM5NxbRJEAgIz4L8UV8UvSU5yoDZJG1RWHuwRHu2-35hm0bM2G-XChx5lWjgHVXcz9OW24jKDJq7fLF2hyphenhyphenGqWtcshz38txCudLMTQmRBk5/s1600/IMG_20140106_195225_232.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b>Recipe:</b></div>
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3 large carrots</div>
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2 stalks of celery</div>
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2 apples [1 Granny Smith, 1 Gala]</div>
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<b>Review:</b></div>
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I love this juice! Light, refreshing, not too sweet, not too veg and such a pretty orange!</div>
<br />The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-39873286480884958242014-01-05T20:00:00.000-05:002014-01-07T09:31:59.813-05:00Juice day 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqSaYKUU2VHIgxCyqsEcAGl8bmT_HWJG3gH6D4onSL6vs4366GtHNb450r1X-G0KuN75swwvLlunh4wXGv21JIQd6bOhev-Vc35giPasDp-6S3B4cpqrO3NX68czfBrfoqZCt/s1600/IMG_20140105_162959_359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqSaYKUU2VHIgxCyqsEcAGl8bmT_HWJG3gH6D4onSL6vs4366GtHNb450r1X-G0KuN75swwvLlunh4wXGv21JIQd6bOhev-Vc35giPasDp-6S3B4cpqrO3NX68czfBrfoqZCt/s1600/IMG_20140105_162959_359.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b>Recipe:</b></div>
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1 handful of spinach</div>
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2 stalks of celery</div>
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3 smallish carrots</div>
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1 Granny Smith apple</div>
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<b>Review:</b></div>
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Remarkably light and very tasty. I'm still blown away by how powerful the celery smells and how light it actually tastes. There's a recipe that's just celery juice and honey that I am now curious about trying out.</div>
<br />The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-61970267831571903472014-01-04T20:00:00.000-05:002014-01-06T11:49:34.415-05:00Tomato Jam and Juice Day 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQvzsa8-TpXs36cI3RdnmGeSZ05th4A1ffwhQjWkQkt7q3f_LviSoHLrqFw1vW2rKYVbhX0qTRQ3IEovKuI57UMpxLOQhODELf8g1PEJK5kt2SpJkNwPdE7jB6juL8EtQvUvG/s1600/IMG_20140104_112734_361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQvzsa8-TpXs36cI3RdnmGeSZ05th4A1ffwhQjWkQkt7q3f_LviSoHLrqFw1vW2rKYVbhX0qTRQ3IEovKuI57UMpxLOQhODELf8g1PEJK5kt2SpJkNwPdE7jB6juL8EtQvUvG/s320/IMG_20140104_112734_361.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Went to the farmer's market this morning on a mission. The mission was to find something to make jam out of. The strawberries were a bit expensive, so a friend and I turned these bad boys into a very tasty tomato jam, which is absolutely dynamite on grilled cheese. We went into a bit of a canning frenzy as she also decided to make chicken stock, so I got to learn pressure canning and hot water bath canning all at once. It was rather comical trying to juggle an enormous stock pot, a pressure canner, a dutch oven and a 2-quart sauce pan on her stove, but we made it happen.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegcOi7yD252tJlLqf2rqpl2Im6Tj7BlYp0OhX__w9rKF9ku5O3QZtVoyUYCZJSYN08qB_kYwoD7JMvmDSGAvRlY8trGELMB7p0MXCLwKB22v9haCe61_yadeSJ3NLLwsvAfpr/s1600/IMG_20140104_211400_070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegcOi7yD252tJlLqf2rqpl2Im6Tj7BlYp0OhX__w9rKF9ku5O3QZtVoyUYCZJSYN08qB_kYwoD7JMvmDSGAvRlY8trGELMB7p0MXCLwKB22v9haCe61_yadeSJ3NLLwsvAfpr/s320/IMG_20140104_211400_070.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b>Recipe:</b><br />
2 small beets<br />
2 carrots<br />
1 Granny Smith apple<br />
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<b>Review:</b><br />
Very tasty! I peeled the beets as I read that not peeling them results in a very "earthy" flavor that not everyone finds appealing. It does have a bit of an earthy taste, but it's not unpleasant. <br />
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I am finding that the variety of apple I use in my juices makes a big difference. The first juices I made were with Pink Lady apples and that resulted in a very sweet, easily drinkable juice. I think the bolder flavor of the Ladies could make a veggie-heavy juice more accessible to a new or reluctant juicer. Gala apples are much milder and are more neutral in flavor. It's almost like they just add juice volume without shifting the flavor meter much. The Granny Smiths have a tartness that plays well with the vegetables and adds dimension to a vegetable juice that doesn't feel like a masking agent for the veggies.The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-78234572754947471682014-01-02T12:46:00.000-05:002014-01-02T13:29:29.319-05:00Juice Day 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_Z1z1FVsdgy7rfcS3Y9BwGaakeyIjoNn0Rb45IvvVR7nvfreSTDJNdVAjbVL8JejnkS3R91RN-nnYBRxuUoFIgeb6iutT-WqIzfnAUiwAL8lLungRtg695gVHQDr_I4ZoOHt/s1600/IMG_20140102_122059_545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_Z1z1FVsdgy7rfcS3Y9BwGaakeyIjoNn0Rb45IvvVR7nvfreSTDJNdVAjbVL8JejnkS3R91RN-nnYBRxuUoFIgeb6iutT-WqIzfnAUiwAL8lLungRtg695gVHQDr_I4ZoOHt/s320/IMG_20140102_122059_545.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://juicerecipes.com/recipes/green-ginger-ale-85">Green Ginger Ale</a> from <a href="http://juicerecipes.com/">juicerecipes.com</a><br />
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<b>Recipe:</b><br />
3 apples<br />
2 stalks of celery<br />
1 cucumber, peeled<br />
1 lime, peeled<br />
1 small piece fresh ginger<br />
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<b>Review:</b><br />
My juice turned out a lovely shade of pink, while the featured recipe on the Juice Recipes website is very green...may have to do with the Gala apples I used. <br />
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Not my favorite juice. It has an overwhelming smell of celery and the juice is tart and tangy. Not horribly so, but I don't think I'll be in a hurry to make this one again. [Now watch, it'll end up being my favorite juice.]<br />
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<br />The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-60063048472181566222014-01-01T20:00:00.000-05:002014-01-02T13:29:22.152-05:00Juice day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbe49PjdXP6ddjJJD3zYepxgQzNO-zG6OrM9L_LbxnZTAFao_dOZzvptkS-VICaxCTLGWSmglgOsDaFihJmYSjFGfQuhR4-w1uqSxSsS5pPadFjOgc3Pw8OcqtbUhQjJpQBBn/s1600/IMG_20140101_122938_072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbe49PjdXP6ddjJJD3zYepxgQzNO-zG6OrM9L_LbxnZTAFao_dOZzvptkS-VICaxCTLGWSmglgOsDaFihJmYSjFGfQuhR4-w1uqSxSsS5pPadFjOgc3Pw8OcqtbUhQjJpQBBn/s320/IMG_20140101_122938_072.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Since my most awesome sister bought me a juicer for Christmas and I'd like to keep track of the recipes I try, I'm tossing them here, at least for now.<br />
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<b>Recipe:</b><br />
4 apples [reserve 1 for after the spinach]<br />
1 mango<br />
2 oranges<br />
handful of spinach<br />
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Very tasty! Would definitely make it again. I made enough of the fruit part of the juice to split with my hubby [I left out the spinach for his glass], ran the spinach through and ran the last apple through to clear out the spinach.The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-47239628409769397942013-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:002014-01-02T13:26:19.042-05:00Fast forwardSo, to catch you up, in the past 2+ years I have completed the following off my list [that was supposed to be completed over a year ago. Ha!]:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;">8. </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;">Collect license plates every summer [Memorial Day through Labor Day]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span>Actually, Idaho eludes me. The Dakotas are difficult to get too. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;">32. Sew a tote bag</span><br />
Voilà!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-baQuNbY1bCg81O2SL-bOKji72c4E10FT33XnxXBLiBZP-wSQRL7rwZlQqxAsM_7UejN-1vWKt5XY7RT1otOGVJlr8Y7TGl8ADdymk1RUz6L4iAnFKrPtYzD__QchdhATse2/s1600/IMG_20130915_184535_023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-baQuNbY1bCg81O2SL-bOKji72c4E10FT33XnxXBLiBZP-wSQRL7rwZlQqxAsM_7UejN-1vWKt5XY7RT1otOGVJlr8Y7TGl8ADdymk1RUz6L4iAnFKrPtYzD__QchdhATse2/s320/IMG_20130915_184535_023.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;">34. <span style="font-style: italic;">Run a 5k</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> </i></span>Actually, I have run several 5Ks, a 10K and a half marathon...oh, and I'm training for another half. Running keeps me sane.<br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;" /></i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;">36. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span>Did this when we lived on the trail. I scrambled up the trail for a few very rocky miles, and I do mean scrambled.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;">37. Get properly fitted for running shoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;"> </span></span>And once I found a pair I liked, they stopped making them! Typical!<br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;">65. Get married</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span>August 13, 2011!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;">84. <span style="font-style: italic;">Crochet my sisters surprise floor coverings</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> </i></span>Finished one for my little sis that I need to get a final picture on. It was a giant Yoshi made from granny squares. She loved it!<br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.89583396911621px;">98. Get a full body massage</span><br />
Did this and it was TOTALLY worth it. <br />
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Oh, and I relocated to Florida. Short version: hubby got a job down here. I love living here!<br />
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I have also reconsidered many of the goals I initially listed on my 101 in 1001. Some no longer resonate, some have been eliminated for reasons I'd rather not get into and some were added to take up space on the list. Creating the list was an interesting exercise in self-exploration, but ultimately reminded me more of what I wasn't doing than inspiring me to go out and do things.The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-25373317181720781652010-06-09T17:28:00.004-05:002010-06-09T22:12:52.098-05:00A day made of win!<span style="font-family:georgia;">Break out the bubbly and grab your pencils! I am crossing number 4 off <a href="http://themadtatter.blogspot.com/2010/01/1.html">my big to-do list</a>. I was offered a job this morning after completing a successful second interview. Actually, I was kind of offered 2 jobs, but let me back up.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I had originally applied for an entry-level position (Job A) and was in the middle of interviewing for it when the interviewer noted that, with my skill set, I was probably a better fit for another job (Job B). So, she set up an interview with the supervisor of Job B and it went swimmingly. At the end of the interview I asked about the timetable for filling the position and Mr. Supervisor said he was going on vacation and would not be back till the end of the month, so the earliest anyone could start Job B would be July 1st. Okay, fine.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">This morning, I got a call from Mr. Supervisor offering me the position! Yay! Much dancing ensued. He went on to mention that due to the recent hospitalization of a co-worker, they were in desperate need of help in the claims department and would I be interested in starting in claims (Job C) and giving them a hand while Mr. Supervisor is on vacation? It would give me an opportunity to learn the company, while helping out the claims department. Being the helpful person I am, I agreed. Mr. Supervisor also mentioned that if, in the few weeks I was helping out claims, I decided I loved it there, I was more than welcome to take that position instead. So, I start Job C on Monday with the option of staying in claims or choosing to switch to Job B after the return of Mr. Supervisor. Huzzah!!!</span>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-4985256732895345962010-06-03T18:14:00.004-05:002010-06-03T18:25:47.028-05:00Antici...............pation<span style="font-family:georgia;">I was drafting my follow-up email when it happened. I got the email I've been waiting for! I have a second interview on Tuesday afternoon. I was given the choice of Monday morning or Tuesday afternoon and while the impulsive part of me wanted to jump at taking the first opportunity available, the smart part of me stopped myself to think for a minute. The smart part pointed out that I have no idea what traffic is like on Monday mornings and since I live in an area where a lot of people commute to New York City, the last thing I wanted to do was have to <del>camp out in their parking lot</del> leave the house at 5 a.m. for a 9 o'clock appointment. So, I opted for Tuesday afternoon, but I'll be leaving around noon for my 2 o'clock meeting, just in case.</span>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-15149847235991515642010-05-29T10:19:00.006-05:002010-06-04T12:24:47.731-05:00Waiting with bated breath<span style="font-family:georgia;">There is a chance I may soon be gainfully employed. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Monday, I saw an advertisement searching for a "technical assistant." Looking at the job duties and requirements, I felt that I was well-qualified for the position, so I submitted my resume for consideration. The next morning (Tuesday), about half an hour after the office opened, I received an email in reply stating that the job was 45 minutes away but if I was still interested, they would like to schedule an interview. A 45 minute drive is a cake walk for me, so I emailed back and asked if the following day (Wednesday) was too soon. An email in response informed me that the following afternoon was convenient for the interviewer if it was convenient for me, so we set the meeting time at 2 p.m.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I rushed around like a crazy person looking for my suit and other interview paraphernalia and mapped my route through Google maps. It would take 45 minutes in good traffic and I knew there was construction, so I planned to leave at 12:30, an hour and a half before my appointment. It turned out to be a very fortunate foresight.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Within a half mile of my merge onto the first of 3 main highways, I was in at a dead stop behind a long line of traffic. I attribute the slowdown to two things: first, heading in the opposite direction, there was an oversized load that was stopped underneath an overpass and as it was straddling both lanes, no traffic could pass. I believe this distraction caused drivers on my side of the highway to slow down and rubber-neck. Further impeding my progress was the sudden decision on the part of the state's department of transportation to close one lane in my direction of travel, thus squeezing the already sluggish traffic into a construction-induced bottle-neck. It took me thirty minutes to move the three miles to my exit. At this point, I was understandably panicked. For while I had allowed myself twice as much time as I thought necessary, my expected delay still lay ahead.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">However, once I exited the first main highway, the sailing was smooth and even in the corridor where I had anticipated a hindrance, there was no hint of any trouble. I arrived a full 20 minutes early and at the behest of the receptionist, I sat down to fill out the required application.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Once that was concluded, I was received by the interviewer. To make a long story short, </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:78%;" >(too late)</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> I feel the interview went very well. About halfway through I was surprised and delighted when my interviewer mentioned that the more she spoke with me, the more she was convinced that I would actually be a good candidate for another job that was so new that it hadn't even been posted yet. She deduced that, with my degree in English, I was very detail-oriented and probably very concise. I confirmed that I am. She stated that there was a manager who was looking for an assistant who could work independently, as he was frequently out of the office, and who was very accurate, as some of the things this assistant would be preparing would not be viewed by him until he was in front of a client. I told her I was very interested and she printed out a copy of the job description for me. Upon reading the description, I became very certain that I want this job.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">She concluded the interview by saying that she would be in touch in the next week, probably not until Tuesday, at the earliest, due to the holiday weekend, but that she wanted to set up an appointment for me to meet the manager who needs an accurate, self-starting assistant. She would keep me in mind for the other position, but that with my skill set, she felt I would be a great fit for the manager's assistant.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">So now I wait, with fingers crossed, for an email or a call and another interview with a man who will hopefully become my next supervisor.</span>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-89389564474962968472010-05-08T09:38:00.004-05:002010-05-08T09:43:32.266-05:00Such funTo add to the confusion inherent in living out of hastily-labeled boxes, I found this on the door yesterday:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1RXsBar1sI6J5SJjTSHenp-ZB0i9ZAI259V9VTBEOFWyhIWeEM3iLS21SeBKy2LWfgHjaKN6fIt3zkSeOeCuUS824N0dquOqjyjaAye6mrEA3lV2bGiO3VBlWW0048uZyOg_/s1600/boil+advisory.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1RXsBar1sI6J5SJjTSHenp-ZB0i9ZAI259V9VTBEOFWyhIWeEM3iLS21SeBKy2LWfgHjaKN6fIt3zkSeOeCuUS824N0dquOqjyjaAye6mrEA3lV2bGiO3VBlWW0048uZyOg_/s320/boil+advisory.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468909568982511202" border="0" /><br /></a>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-85550221726102868992010-05-06T08:30:00.004-05:002010-05-07T15:04:54.905-05:00Well, we're all moved in and I know exactly where everything is--in a box in the basement. This house is quite a bit...<span style="font-style: italic;">cozier</span> than the last house, so space is at a premium. I'm currently trying to only keep the essentials in the main part of the house and repackage the non-essentials for long term storage in the basement. I'm taking great care to label the repackaged items so as not to end up spending hours looking for something a few months down the road.<br /><br />Hopefully this will be the last move for a while.The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-41534516819096277572010-04-28T16:13:00.002-05:002010-04-28T16:18:21.612-05:00Today's grin brought to you by...A friend shared this on Facebook. It is absolutely hilarious and gave me a much needed break from packing:<br /><br /><a href="http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html">The Alot is Better Than You at Everything</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Thank you, Kat, for sharing!</span>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-11278211942972040102010-04-13T08:46:00.028-05:002010-04-19T09:18:59.539-05:00101 in 1001...actually more like 97 in 1001<span style="font-family:georgia;">So looking over my 101 in 1001, I realized that I'd somehow managed to list "Learn to spin my own yarn" twice, within a few lines of each other. (so I changed one of them to TBA) I also realized that goal #9 ("Update this blog once a week for the duration of the project") just isn't happening. I'm not sure if that's because of a lack of documentable progress or just a bit of laziness on my part.<br /><br />In any case, I am changing the font on <a href="http://themadtatter.blogspot.com/2010/01/1.html">my original list</a> to <i>italics</i> if the goal is in progress, <del>strike-through</del> if the goal is complete and updating the number in brackets [2/10] if the goal is quantifiable.<br /><br />A little update on my goals:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reduce the unnecessary use of "like" and "you know"</span></span><br />I am actually having quite a bit of success with this one. I've been paying attention more to how I speak and I find that most times the easiest way to reduce the unnecessary use of the word "like" is to just say "said." [<span style="font-style: italic;">i.e.</span>, instead of saying "He was all like 'I'm not doing that.'" I choose to say "He said 'I'm not doing that.'" Easy-peasy!]<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >4. <span>Get a job</span></span><br />This is proving to be a more difficult task. Most of the jobs that I've been finding are about a one hour+ commute and that's before factoring in traffic and the recent arrival of the construction season. Don't even get me started about the drive in winter.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">12. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Go through all my clothes—get rid of stuff that no longer fits/is no longer my style</span></span><br />I've been making slow, but steady, progress in sorting through my clothing. There were a few things that I tried to convince myself that I would wear, even though I have neither worn nor even missed wearing them in the past year or so. When the logical part of me asked the hoarding part of me why I should keep the clothing, why, if I liked it so much, wasn't I wearing it the hoarding part stood silent and pouted. Into the Goodwill box it went.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >30. Catalog all my yarn</span><br />With the help of <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/">Ravelry</a>, which is kinda like Facebook for knitters and crocheters, I've been slowly creating a log of all my stash yarns. In the interest of reducing the number of boxes to move, I once again sorted through my yarn. I have purged yarn prior to each of the last few moves and this time was no exception. The next step will be to being photographing and logging it all . . . but that won't start till after we move.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >34. Run a 5k</span><br />I've been training for this for a while now and as of three weeks ago, I could jog three miles together. However, I've been slacking off recently. [excuses] I've been running on the college's track, but recently the spring sports have begun to practice and phys ed classes have moved out of doors and since they get priority use of the track, I've been stymied in my efforts. I've tried running around town, but the hills and the concrete have been doing a number on my knees. I've also been bored with running. Actually maybe it's more accurate to say I'm discouraged. I had been running 3 miles every other day for about a month and not getting any faster at it. I would have thought I would make some sort of progress speed-wise in that amount of time. [/excuses] Of course, now that I haven't been working at it for the past few weeks, I'm not even sure I can jog the three miles together anymore.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >40. <span>Establish and maintain a useful daily routine</span></span><br />This is coming along and due to my diligence in removing my make-up each night, I am happy to report that for the first time in almost 10 years, my face is free of major blemishes! (at least for the moment)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >42. <span>Take a vitamin/vitamin pack once a day</span></span><br />This one has been pretty easy and with the exception of a few missed days here and there, I've been successful.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >43. <span>Exercise at least 3 times per week</span></span><br />This was going so well until about three weeks ago. See above for excuses.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >45. <span>Learn to kayak</span></span><br />About a week ago, My Beloved took me out in to a near-by lake for some paddling. I had some issues getting into the boat, but once I was in, the rest was fairly easy. Next step: combine kayaking with fishing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" ><del>73. Learn to spin my own yarn</del></span><br />A few weeks ago, My Beloved and I went to visit a couple of friends. One of said friends had located a place for us to learn to spin that weekend and booked us a lesson. Here are the results:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrMPekeQX6T7G1IB2tuhE83cOr0O5to5Meu-pzOXGjFVLaowts4WNRgwWsOl9R34yajyiexCcwjHFEsMroRzWjkbHHBmN8TM4Kpjh8Gsq3yIYz2_l-dix6hcbQo8nn5KsIsIi/s1600/P4190018.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrMPekeQX6T7G1IB2tuhE83cOr0O5to5Meu-pzOXGjFVLaowts4WNRgwWsOl9R34yajyiexCcwjHFEsMroRzWjkbHHBmN8TM4Kpjh8Gsq3yIYz2_l-dix6hcbQo8nn5KsIsIi/s320/P4190018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461838979514827538" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >74. <span>Bake at least once a month</span></span><br />This one has been way easy since I bake scones every couple of weeks for breakfast. (The scones are so easy though that it almost feels like cheating to count them as my baking for the month!) I have also been making butter ring (aka, coffee cake) and cookies.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95az5KpJP2xWv6KjEzb_ff5lC1OJwcJNs50-PHItddEFtqANAHYsB2Xd9oZ6paA9_O0MTd3dx28g1G6aZRPR3uJGTf0N1BgILrxuRFUZNIWcr89eeJauKzGbn7i5T0Yni1vI8/s1600/bakery003.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95az5KpJP2xWv6KjEzb_ff5lC1OJwcJNs50-PHItddEFtqANAHYsB2Xd9oZ6paA9_O0MTd3dx28g1G6aZRPR3uJGTf0N1BgILrxuRFUZNIWcr89eeJauKzGbn7i5T0Yni1vI8/s320/bakery003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461850415031083058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Freshly-glazed butter ring</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlmzZllv1y6jNb60UHwLMzr3lIDaKrPIX9yKPdSTc4PdxeDTsSQooRvNlnGWGLZ5fbtgBDsydOOBV-tFPzw-Sf0E4VJ9oG1mm7kDLkfoIbVvq6F7vuz2L5ksDZoND-unU2Ne9/s1600/Photo0339.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNlmzZllv1y6jNb60UHwLMzr3lIDaKrPIX9yKPdSTc4PdxeDTsSQooRvNlnGWGLZ5fbtgBDsydOOBV-tFPzw-Sf0E4VJ9oG1mm7kDLkfoIbVvq6F7vuz2L5ksDZoND-unU2Ne9/s320/Photo0339.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461851517963318034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Cranberry orange scones</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" ><del>80. Learn to make bobbin lace</del></span><br />Since Lace Day, I've been invited to attend a local lace group that has been meeting on Mondays. (actually, "local" is kind of a misnomer; the group meets an hour away in New Jersey). Pat, our fearless leader, has supplied me with several new patterns over the past couple of months, always managing to start me on a new pattern just when I had gotten the hang of the old one. :) Here are some of the projects I've been working on:<br /><br />Lace edgings:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpDGpZaveFEsWW0FVfa58Gd1OVF7MkvTacriEOB1kklC7taW0azT8GJiDaHTA3VcsvXdsqOT1d-gMOcersGv8d-ko6MaVyyRChqHLoqoL1IY370LE-J0U9yIqymLCrqBz07Ay/s1600/P4190015.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpDGpZaveFEsWW0FVfa58Gd1OVF7MkvTacriEOB1kklC7taW0azT8GJiDaHTA3VcsvXdsqOT1d-gMOcersGv8d-ko6MaVyyRChqHLoqoL1IY370LE-J0U9yIqymLCrqBz07Ay/s320/P4190015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461840198457402834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyezf9eZlBh8G_fJT6B_URY8aB2R9Vy5RwS9nsIXLJIi5xsClHad-TULE5ZvdsAdvJn-Ws5xkziQFc5-zZsKk5TmYyzyy0iAF9WpMTcACZZqDmbPAD53lQKDy1Yp8Df_AZwUUw/s1600/P4190016.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyezf9eZlBh8G_fJT6B_URY8aB2R9Vy5RwS9nsIXLJIi5xsClHad-TULE5ZvdsAdvJn-Ws5xkziQFc5-zZsKk5TmYyzyy0iAF9WpMTcACZZqDmbPAD53lQKDy1Yp8Df_AZwUUw/s320/P4190016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461840487835234946" border="0" /></a>A handkerchief edging:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hxb1fL3TrsNk1Zmh-Y3yv6ULDxM-i23QROLcL2ypw0iruwkzyJPyKaBOeJOtVVrUIxPItDHGMQBg1BfMycRmr3Rejz1wAUswmZO5HYrGBGULcFk1AFwXi0hF2hyphenhyphenU8D0qvq6v/s1600/P4190012.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hxb1fL3TrsNk1Zmh-Y3yv6ULDxM-i23QROLcL2ypw0iruwkzyJPyKaBOeJOtVVrUIxPItDHGMQBg1BfMycRmr3Rejz1wAUswmZO5HYrGBGULcFk1AFwXi0hF2hyphenhyphenU8D0qvq6v/s320/P4190012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461839361912713586" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And here are some projects I hope to tackle soon:<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(I'm told I possess the skills to complete them without much trouble, but I am a tad skeptical.)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRyz-s3VY8BH-AH3JXy5Fi_wPXQthBkm180L1JctqUsI6_-4SwmTiWhhpz2QfRSAO3DfK3scMADr_N0oeP6XaL5zuC4Z4wxTS91v-pMxd2Hi67ORrpmfmM3F9mmpMoGHS5vLH/s1600/Copy+of+Photo0481.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRyz-s3VY8BH-AH3JXy5Fi_wPXQthBkm180L1JctqUsI6_-4SwmTiWhhpz2QfRSAO3DfK3scMADr_N0oeP6XaL5zuC4Z4wxTS91v-pMxd2Hi67ORrpmfmM3F9mmpMoGHS5vLH/s320/Copy+of+Photo0481.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461843265014356274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SxqffmU0ihcrUNwKOKrPdAL13m-xUeLDZsu2b2cVvw8Q0xEtIdXVLw4cdp0ZjALtwNbf2NQIkFOp0s0mGspKBUpPOS-aVivSWxHSEHJQYSOkYOEF0eNCaT5xWE2tq5M3Q-0B/s1600/Photo0475.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SxqffmU0ihcrUNwKOKrPdAL13m-xUeLDZsu2b2cVvw8Q0xEtIdXVLw4cdp0ZjALtwNbf2NQIkFOp0s0mGspKBUpPOS-aVivSWxHSEHJQYSOkYOEF0eNCaT5xWE2tq5M3Q-0B/s320/Photo0475.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461844116931468802" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddzZ9nP9wL9_YwKp_hgQMSHBwERH2Z75qeL3j7i4f5BVLNWCuUqECJYehzo3Hdg8MO6ILrbqpAlcRbgOC9Sbw1Wpm8Tg6-cjebSigDEDGakuspdq1PRmLFqr1r3QU0i3JDyY_/s1600/Photo0475.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC128QmzVwHendRW8vXg1QaBK73G1-sI70iFHz7a-IUeudJm1qLYLFSHpbyQ72ssKgwY8V9Zc6Ddw25qV6O3JZ7gnQF3n47h_cVotGeJKqOTjNTtHacSKqmEr2NRzzvoR6EQDq/s1600/Photo0476.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC128QmzVwHendRW8vXg1QaBK73G1-sI70iFHz7a-IUeudJm1qLYLFSHpbyQ72ssKgwY8V9Zc6Ddw25qV6O3JZ7gnQF3n47h_cVotGeJKqOTjNTtHacSKqmEr2NRzzvoR6EQDq/s320/Photo0476.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461844345619206130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >84. <span>Crochet my sisters surprise floor coverings</span></span><br />I'm not going to say too much about this, as my sister(s) may be reading this, but here is one of the projects in progress:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_RMOFgr2npde33WvAet1wQ2E-pSGGfzu-SKRIFRiJNqLk2ivpqxL_PV43CG9AZlnw79MVPK74A9KWk-jPWw9UI4G8flsVwvAb5IWZCUiE9xdLZxFh9txIUasC-IETqAxKTRA/s1600/yoshibits.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_RMOFgr2npde33WvAet1wQ2E-pSGGfzu-SKRIFRiJNqLk2ivpqxL_PV43CG9AZlnw79MVPK74A9KWk-jPWw9UI4G8flsVwvAb5IWZCUiE9xdLZxFh9txIUasC-IETqAxKTRA/s320/yoshibits.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461847475246810018" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >91. Learn how to tie 10 new knots</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> [1/10]</span><br />In learning to make bobbin lace, I learned to tie a new knot: the weaver's knot. It is indispensable when/if a thread breaks.<br /><br />Looking at things from this perspective, I feel I'm making some real progress towards my goals.<br />Huzzah!</span>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-84795834601202642282010-02-26T15:58:00.007-05:002010-04-10T11:21:35.908-05:00On the Move Part 5*Yes, we're moving <span style="font-style: italic;">again</span>! But a little back story:<br /><br />When we originally moved in, our landlord informed us that his intention for the property was to eventually tear down the house and build a commercial building, but as he had no takers on the prospect, he would rent us the house. So, we settled in, thinking we'd have maybe a year or so before we'd have to think about moving again.<br /><br />However, in February, workers began showing up with earth-moving equipment, digging up the yard to assess soil conditions. A week or so later, surveyors came and we knew our happy little home would not be long ours. An email from our landlord confirmed that we had till the end of April to move out.<br /><br />So began the search for new digs, but most places in the area were either too expensive, too small or didn't allow pets (which posed a problem for our cat). We were beginning to panic when a knitting friend of mine reminded me about a house she had told me about the month before. She had recently spoken to the owners and found that the place was still available. My Beloved called and made arrangements to go see the place.<br /><br />It's a cute 3 bedroom ranch in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_Water_Gap">Delaware Water Gap, PA</a>, with a living room, a kitchen with adjacent dining area, a cellar built into the bedrock and about an acre of property.<br /><br />Let the packing commence...<i>sigh</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*[Shamelessly backdated]</span>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-22245378707334404752010-02-13T11:34:00.036-05:002010-02-19T07:59:10.169-05:00Lace Day 2010A knitting friend of mine, who is also a bobbin lacemaker, told me about The <a href="http://www.lostartlacers.org/">Lost Art Lacers</a> Annual Lace Day, which is actually a 2 day event: Saturday is mainly a shopping day, with a few vendors, a raffle and some demonstrations. Sunday is the class day and this year they were offering 4 classes: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbin_lace">bobbin lace making</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatting">tatting</a>, knitting and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%B8nder_lace">Tønder</a> (which is a variety of bobbin lace making). I signed up for the bobbin lace making class, as it is something I have wanted to learn for a while now.<br /><br />I was overwhelmed by the variety of bobbins and threads available. I'm familiar with tatting thread and I generally use the type (cotton) and size (80) that I can get in the local craft store. The vendors provided a peek into a world I didn't know existed: threads of linen, silk, wire and cotton in a variety of gauges; books in French, German, Italian and a few languages I did not recognize; lace making pillows in delicious fabrics; tools ranging from the practical to the sublime (some of which reminded me of some fly tying tools I own) and even some lace making jewelry (miniature bobbin earrings and small pendants that resemble small picture frames in which one may insert a tiny motif). <br /><br />The displays were absolutely stunning:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXFlcY5J6QYt4vae_3qxxktmFA7NK27gzdBbbSm2NCYrz5GKV26ZG1pv7KhNOsPyrZs3jFUq99yDobfCEY8ivOaYdkmH1jvlw7kn_kyeNjWuhz1QVJV3IdZHB29FFd97SFYwV/s1600-h/LaceDay116.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXFlcY5J6QYt4vae_3qxxktmFA7NK27gzdBbbSm2NCYrz5GKV26ZG1pv7KhNOsPyrZs3jFUq99yDobfCEY8ivOaYdkmH1jvlw7kn_kyeNjWuhz1QVJV3IdZHB29FFd97SFYwV/s320/LaceDay116.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437803607041119666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJe13S9TftMHbZSjClQ0Bs36PhTAxdaeK5jm9pzCa2zs1X-KYtcZuZUV6CZAPcLyrWr8Oc-7l937ih6boPihfJrY_AXZj_bZQAqRnP_I5mCo_cT6xPNCV6TdeqTFHfLx765wz/s1600-h/LaceDay107.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJe13S9TftMHbZSjClQ0Bs36PhTAxdaeK5jm9pzCa2zs1X-KYtcZuZUV6CZAPcLyrWr8Oc-7l937ih6boPihfJrY_AXZj_bZQAqRnP_I5mCo_cT6xPNCV6TdeqTFHfLx765wz/s320/LaceDay107.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437845139053439522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykZvLce-smq6DZvKR2zkrF8Sd_7YfbrAb7A95wPWMtJu607XKozKntoX9GMipDNwdbbfvWD-WdFsOP6oWgo80m4houhWD5kAn-M3_hz97OIcDPU1FzM82gSLrt-AcqB16sN7d/s1600-h/LaceDay115.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykZvLce-smq6DZvKR2zkrF8Sd_7YfbrAb7A95wPWMtJu607XKozKntoX9GMipDNwdbbfvWD-WdFsOP6oWgo80m4houhWD5kAn-M3_hz97OIcDPU1FzM82gSLrt-AcqB16sN7d/s320/LaceDay115.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437847810584903410" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWOY8vfF49lTjN0r5S0Y4e9H7U9QUkjyF0NxQIQxe0O3ZV91ONsE50u2tuVog-NQFAebsIEq8aPsS6xAffVwOOnY-Tnxa0LeTyConPCqz_1DK6YUk7QHD1K143Dfv8vGN5Wsf/s1600-h/LaceDay111.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWOY8vfF49lTjN0r5S0Y4e9H7U9QUkjyF0NxQIQxe0O3ZV91ONsE50u2tuVog-NQFAebsIEq8aPsS6xAffVwOOnY-Tnxa0LeTyConPCqz_1DK6YUk7QHD1K143Dfv8vGN5Wsf/s320/LaceDay111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437845450681016290" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here's an unfortunately blurry close-up of the corner:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhlWhbE7VVFe-LbwO7j7Hnhc2Hp2vfVgbcVQisLwDAsqDSAfiDIr6rOP73KqOOwTW7OL2tYgGNbQnzOZ4XogPPTnbBoYzfIw33eSazisuAZhTAD4-7SSk31SNr39sBVCpTu1W/s1600-h/LaceDay110.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhlWhbE7VVFe-LbwO7j7Hnhc2Hp2vfVgbcVQisLwDAsqDSAfiDIr6rOP73KqOOwTW7OL2tYgGNbQnzOZ4XogPPTnbBoYzfIw33eSazisuAZhTAD4-7SSk31SNr39sBVCpTu1W/s320/LaceDay110.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437846292577956386" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJkU2eSoSAL5MlPu7BFPqwZKY4V1764AHmIf3D2NREEqZr7kaweTB4eFw5jEEBwtJ3GAaiXIDI7XAhVTcOUYtuMPWygShhVMVW0_8NReT8aF-Wmb0zC3cgw-XwqW-xqDFkFMF/s1600-h/LaceDay114.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJkU2eSoSAL5MlPu7BFPqwZKY4V1764AHmIf3D2NREEqZr7kaweTB4eFw5jEEBwtJ3GAaiXIDI7XAhVTcOUYtuMPWygShhVMVW0_8NReT8aF-Wmb0zC3cgw-XwqW-xqDFkFMF/s320/LaceDay114.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437846705458571810" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0hI8D_6PAZ4Xr1jnNFgZdotDhMEL3HNsLfQEeYXpWlhVFtDn0o-lCEr8bbxAsyYMBffQcBy5BqOxHrDDl1vjIq-mnbAWvrD-uEHVyncQUx127IdDTywce-TBA5kLonzfGQ4x/s1600-h/LaceDay108.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0hI8D_6PAZ4Xr1jnNFgZdotDhMEL3HNsLfQEeYXpWlhVFtDn0o-lCEr8bbxAsyYMBffQcBy5BqOxHrDDl1vjIq-mnbAWvrD-uEHVyncQUx127IdDTywce-TBA5kLonzfGQ4x/s320/LaceDay108.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437846026606056386" /></a><br /><br />Here's the basic set up for bobbin lace making, albeit with a complicated lace pattern:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj4q4KtNOGSTd8uMD0l9lZqB_sAx8j4GSvzDVxxVifcKo9CgBNq8w1JUZ23Viw-gEFK4x9-4mQchIBuGpD2KqOrrtgn-yyoGLxXhJgPAc3XFs0jxFrdkSXCNya-VNKDhhXrmB/s1600-h/LaceDay113.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj4q4KtNOGSTd8uMD0l9lZqB_sAx8j4GSvzDVxxVifcKo9CgBNq8w1JUZ23Viw-gEFK4x9-4mQchIBuGpD2KqOrrtgn-yyoGLxXhJgPAc3XFs0jxFrdkSXCNya-VNKDhhXrmB/s320/LaceDay113.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437847199780689218" /></a><br /><br />In comparison, here's the set-up I was working on the following day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFueD67z8hqDtZjdlzt9fZYJTVG3UnCbrHp-nMRCTnNOGjzKBeAuySWO0eZqHQh2MKAaaMtIf3YM51_zQlvQZy-y5YOJmVNh9ceZKVl_QCGsHbwpxzNGKTASvbQaQiXJ93pJM/s1600-h/LaceDay201.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFueD67z8hqDtZjdlzt9fZYJTVG3UnCbrHp-nMRCTnNOGjzKBeAuySWO0eZqHQh2MKAaaMtIf3YM51_zQlvQZy-y5YOJmVNh9ceZKVl_QCGsHbwpxzNGKTASvbQaQiXJ93pJM/s320/LaceDay201.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437848439966717954" /></a><br /><br />And here's the finished product:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBt3ixjpSPimwdfeFyPugkJCVqynOFiRNec9ezBotbxqQn9ATmMezF29QZ0OAgD7KqyzS83GQKA_rNQeRe7N99PHCixvQuMozGSEsunucZaySHrhMDtmse-K3x4SPOHMpftPa/s1600-h/Lace+Day+005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBt3ixjpSPimwdfeFyPugkJCVqynOFiRNec9ezBotbxqQn9ATmMezF29QZ0OAgD7KqyzS83GQKA_rNQeRe7N99PHCixvQuMozGSEsunucZaySHrhMDtmse-K3x4SPOHMpftPa/s320/Lace+Day+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439250004010982450" /></a><br /><br />After we had been working on that pattern for a while, we broke for lunch and started a small sampler:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh946RvzIb9Y39wAJltH_tBaPYVK66QWNO3HywU8UpUSC3uIB7YzsS-w2mQ4NyKvodYuWImtTM760RZCrRaHfSlHkhyphenhyphenF6Gdd_fwfREhANDfXxNVAO6BD11KSjXx7x47PgOZb24U/s1600-h/Lace+Day+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh946RvzIb9Y39wAJltH_tBaPYVK66QWNO3HywU8UpUSC3uIB7YzsS-w2mQ4NyKvodYuWImtTM760RZCrRaHfSlHkhyphenhyphenF6Gdd_fwfREhANDfXxNVAO6BD11KSjXx7x47PgOZb24U/s320/Lace+Day+010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439250496165511570" /></a><br /><br />After the sampler, our teacher asked us to return to our initial project...which I stared at blankly for a few minutes until she came over and got me restarted. Happily, the following day, I was able to more or less pick up where I left off...with the help of one of the many handouts she provided.<br /><br />I'm not entirely sure how I will use my newly acquired skill, but I did see a book that inspired me to consider using bobbin lace in jewelry:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVemfScjOjCK1trQVypPpPILagYuZLC1SBLu6umndlhC6XRwXY20l_uFVCOTMNWtdwS5jsmDdtPyS0H4vV69zNIWFSXxxiqegzHf7Pb2BUyKxFTNErg8oOTE9vqsavJ0PZ8ho/s1600-h/LaceDay106.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVemfScjOjCK1trQVypPpPILagYuZLC1SBLu6umndlhC6XRwXY20l_uFVCOTMNWtdwS5jsmDdtPyS0H4vV69zNIWFSXxxiqegzHf7Pb2BUyKxFTNErg8oOTE9vqsavJ0PZ8ho/s320/LaceDay106.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439251681196912370" /></a><br /><br />...and possibly learning to do bobbin lace in wire...but those are challenges for another day. <br /><br />P.S. I nearly forgot! I briefly mentioned a raffle on Saturday. The raffle had a variety of finished lace products, lace making supplies and books. My knitting/lace-making friend pointed out a good reference book on bobbin lace making and said if I wanted to risk a dollar, that was a good book to chance it on. I dug through my change purse and pulled out two quarters and five dimes and purchased one ticket. I filled out the back with my contact information, mentally kissed it for luck and dropped it in the drawing bag. <br /><br />On the way back to New Jersey Sunday for our lace classes, we asked one another if anyone had won a prize. The three of us denied having been contacted about any raffle prizes, so we all presumed losses. <br /><br />Shortly after our arrival, but before classes began, I wandered over to the raffle table, where several unclaimed prizes lay. The book I had taken a chance on was there and a bit of the ticket was peeking out of the cover. I looked a little closer and saw that it looked a bit like my handwriting...so I peeked. I had won! Not wanting to snatch the book from the table, I moseyed over to my knitting/lace-making friend and said "I think I won that book from yesterday's raffle." She accompanied me back to the table and looked at the ticket. It was mine! Triumph!The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-33433591632650336182010-01-28T08:45:00.011-05:002010-01-28T10:09:16.345-05:00We got the beet...er, um, beat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMCLHfrCmAvHDLk9GgodFxtz1uMrNThW8ZoIdBCgXoIpipr_LexE9Qvdy6On-cBNQF6CO_oCWFBd_eWn5mWJFIeeISnN6GZTK8gBKFvY69LVDph2yGX57-qEarEvpG8JDbc5H/s1600-h/beat_juice004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMCLHfrCmAvHDLk9GgodFxtz1uMrNThW8ZoIdBCgXoIpipr_LexE9Qvdy6On-cBNQF6CO_oCWFBd_eWn5mWJFIeeISnN6GZTK8gBKFvY69LVDph2yGX57-qEarEvpG8JDbc5H/s320/beat_juice004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431790471362659282" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Not too long ago, I ran across this juicer.* I have occasionally contemplated buying one to enjoy some freshly expressed juice. This one, although reasonably priced, did not inspire my confidence. However, those with two left feet may wish to take a closer look at this model.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiabNhoY7Kuz_DsaGOVM_TOW__P1eaI8hzokCZIEozNDKjcFYGsBXpcxwfAlphIuzdXXVPqB7YHSrpZ4gJ4h13gev8YAPVvfqiK6pjpD9AvBunJhVw4JL0ukFBrCgVc5wmuTw/s1600-h/beat_juice.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 154px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiabNhoY7Kuz_DsaGOVM_TOW__P1eaI8hzokCZIEozNDKjcFYGsBXpcxwfAlphIuzdXXVPqB7YHSrpZ4gJ4h13gev8YAPVvfqiK6pjpD9AvBunJhVw4JL0ukFBrCgVc5wmuTw/s320/beat_juice.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431806990675528994" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Let's see:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">It makes Pineapple Juice, very refreshing</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Orange Juice, a very good source of vitamin C</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Carrot Juice, excellent for vitamin A</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">and Beat Juice, for those lacking rhythm.</span><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*Name has been blurred to protect the idiots</span>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-65488960655184686352010-01-18T18:13:00.010-05:002010-01-18T20:44:04.316-05:00In preparation<span style="font-family:georgia;">In preparation for #45 on my list [Learn to kayak], I present a fairly new acquisition, of sorts:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9URuUg_BiGvP7fDoCDklNkVX5b1hY76xGSTQTfOXKeOCuxTNz3JnvD0zu7my2S75Ji-wCaWsbH1ETQi6q2gxhNkoO2_wHunTvrMZM1kHsuiFFrNcVSitZGgBEuxd_SSatRoFP/s1600-h/kayak004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9URuUg_BiGvP7fDoCDklNkVX5b1hY76xGSTQTfOXKeOCuxTNz3JnvD0zu7my2S75Ji-wCaWsbH1ETQi6q2gxhNkoO2_wHunTvrMZM1kHsuiFFrNcVSitZGgBEuxd_SSatRoFP/s320/kayak004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428236701615615794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">She's a <a href="http://www.hurricaneaquasports.com/phoenix130.html">Hurricane Phoenix 130</a> and she's on extended loan from a friend. It was remarkably warm here today, so we hauled the 'yaks out for a rinse and rub-down. [My Beloved currently owns a <a href="http://www.hobiecat.com/kayaking/models_quest.html">Hobie Quest</a> and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new <a href="http://kaskazi.co.za/kayaks/kaskazi_dorado_2.shtml">Kaskazi Dorado II</a>] Now all I need is a paddle, a seat, a PFD and consistently warmer weather.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Also due to the beautiful weather today, I went for a run, thus fulfilling my obligations to #43 on the list [Exercise at least 3 times per week]. I was ecstatic to find that I could pick up my <a href="http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml">Couch-to-5k</a> right where I left off in September. Since tomorrow doesn't look as pretty, weather-wise, I may have to substitute an outside workout with some indoor aerobics courtesy of <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/4g1xoYv-pBuBjGBqCS-nGN1GKR4OLQEc">My Fitness Coach</a> on the Wii.<br /></span>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-84397276654215536062010-01-17T07:52:00.006-05:002010-09-20T19:55:17.064-05:00101 in 1001<span style="font-family:georgia;">Okay, so I technically don't have 101 things, but I figure it's better to post what I have than to wait for my list to be complete. Besides, I've been sitting on this since October. These are things I would like to do over the next 1,001 days. My start date is today January 17, 2010, so my finish date will be October 14, 2012.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">1. Plant a garden</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">2. Get a new tattoo</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">3. <span style="font-style: italic;">Reduce the unnecessary use of "like" and "you know"</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">4. <del>Get a job</del></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">5. Donate blood</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">6. See 10 French films</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">7. See every movie that won the Academy Award for Best Picture</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">8. <span style="font-style: italic;">Collect license plates every summer [Memorial Day through Labor Day]</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">9. Update this blog once a week for the duration of the project</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">10. Keep checkbook balanced</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">11. Stick to a budget</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">12. <span style="font-style: italic;">Go through all my clothes—get rid of stuff that no longer fits/is no longer my style</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">13. Organize all my paperwork</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><del>14. Officially become a resident of PA</del></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">15. Get my passport</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">16. Find 10 </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.letterboxing.org/">letterboxes</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> (0/10)</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">17. Send 10 postcards via </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.postcrossing.com/">Postcrossing</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> (0/10)</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">18. Find 10 </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.geocaching.com/">caches</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"> (0/10)</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">19. Send a card to </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.postsecretcommunity.com/">PostSecret</a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">20. Send out Christmas cards each year</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">21. Send all close friends and relatives cards on their birthdays</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">22. Join a local church</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">23. Sew at least ten pieces of clothing. (0/10)</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">24. Compile a “cook book” of my mom and grandmas’ recipes</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">25. Make jam</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">26. Make pickles</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">27. Make handmade gifts for my family for their birthdays one year</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">28. Crochet a blanket for our living room</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">29. Make wine [for real this time]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">30. <span style="font-style: italic;">Catalog all my yarn</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">31. Make a blanket for </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.projectlinus.org/">Project Linus</a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">32. Sew a tote bag</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">33. Increase my flexibility enough to touch my toes</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">34. <span style="font-style: italic;">Run a 5k</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">35. Take horseback riding lessons</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">36. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">37. Get properly fitted for running shoes</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">38. Learn to swim in open water</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">39. Complete a sprint triathlon</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">40. <span style="font-style: italic;">Establish and maintain a useful daily routine</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">41. Participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">42. <span style="font-style: italic;">Take a vitamin/vitamin pack once a day</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">43. <span style="font-style: italic;">Exercise at least 3 times per week</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">44. Participate in </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.rockriverandtrail.com/rrtevents.html">The Great Island Adventure Triathlon</a><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">45. <span style="font-style: italic;">Learn to kayak</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;">46. Read a book every month ( /34)</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">47. Proactively seek out 10 museum exhibits I'm interested in, and see them.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">48. Learn to play the cello</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">49. Learn to play the piano</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">50. Relearn to play the flute</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">51. Get my masters degree in Education</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">52. Complete the French textbook I have</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">53. Read 5 French novels</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">54. Learn to type correctly</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">55. Learn to read music</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">56. Become proficient in world geography [countries/states and capitals]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">57. Become proficient in U.S. History [create a useful timeline/scrapbook/<a href="http://www.jackdaw.com/t-jackdaws.aspx">jackdaw</a>]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">58. Complete the French history book I have</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">59. Get certified as a lifeguard</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">60. Learn more about WWII history [create a useful timeline/scrapbook/<a href="http://www.jackdaw.com/t-jackdaws.aspx">jackdaw</a>]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">61. Read all of Shakespeare’s works</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">62. Get and maintain my certification in First Aid and CPR.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">63. Compile my family tree [with pictures and documents whenever possible]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">64. Collect family stories [share them with the rest of the family]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">65. Get married</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">66. Volunteer at least once a month</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">67. Visit Toronto</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">68. Visit Quebec</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">69. Visit Philadelphia</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">70. Visit New York City</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">71. Participate in <a href="http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/">Project 365</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">72. Make a dress for each Christmas</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><del>73. Learn to spin my own yarn</del></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">74. <span style="font-style: italic;">Bake at least once a month</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">75. Finish Lone Star Quilt</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">76. Make Ohio Star lap quilt</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">77. Make Bear Paw quilted wall hanging</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">78. Knit a sweater</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">79. </span>TBA<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><del>80. Learn to make bobbin lace</del></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">81. Learn to sew in zippers [regular and invisible]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">82. Learn how to make buttonholes</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">83. Make myself a coat</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">84. <span style="font-style: italic;">Crochet my sisters surprise floor coverings</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">85. Make a corset</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">86. Make pumpkin butter</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">87. Learn to make croissants</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">88. Make my own spaghetti sauce</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">89. Make my sisters messenger bags [0/2]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">90. Crochet and give away 3 prayer shawls [0/3]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">91. <span style="font-style: italic;">Learn how to tie 10 new knots</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> [1/10]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">92. Go to a drive-in movie</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">93. Research women’s studies [create a useful timeline/scrapbook/<a href="http://www.jackdaw.com/t-jackdaws.aspx">jackdaw</a>]</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;">94. Establish and maintain a useful house cleaning routine</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">95. Swim a mile without stopping</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">96. Improve my posture</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">97. Give myself an at-home spa day at least once a month</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">98. Get a full body massage</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">99. TBA</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">100. TBA</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">101. TBA</span>The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-54912800515215559542009-11-25T13:06:00.006-05:002009-11-25T13:26:30.767-05:00Long overdue or On the Move: Part 4<a href="http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/map4.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 798px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 332px" alt="" src="http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/map4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />So, here is a map that not only documents my moves over the past year, but also demonstrates that I have entirely too much free time on my hands. [ETA: click on the photo above to get the full effect.]<br /><br />To sum up, we start in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakewood,_Oh">Lakewood, Ohio</a>, then proceed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_Haven,_PA">Lock Haven, Pennsylvania</a>, moving from there to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_East,_PA">North East, Pennsylvania</a> and finally ending up in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Stroudsburg,_Pennsylvania">East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania</a> for a grand total of 887 miles of relocation in 12 months. Hopefully, we won't have to do this again anytime soon.The Mad Tatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15437382710815223339noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-47889904911705366932009-03-05T15:38:00.010-05:002009-07-21T10:04:58.497-05:00West by Northwest or on the move part 3Not to be confused with the Hitchcock classic <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053125/">North by Northwest</a>, the title of my post indicates the general direction I will be moving...I know I just moved, but I also knew a relocation was in the works when I moved out here in November, so fortunately 95% of my stuff is still packed. You see, My Beloved got a job up in Erie, thus necessitating the move.<br /><br />To give you a rough idea of the relocation plans, I need a map of Pennsylvania...fortunately, I have mad skills with the Paint program and after several grueling minutes I present to you an incredibly detailed map of Pennsylvania:<br /><a href="http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/?action=view&current=PA.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/PA.jpg" alt="Map of PA" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_Haven,_Pennsylvania">Lock Haven</a> is where we are at this moment and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie,_PA">Erie</a> is where we are headed. Erie is where My Beloved is from, so we are in a sense, headed back home. I am originally from Cleveland, OH, so moving to Erie puts me <span style="font-style: italic;">closer</span> to home, at least.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-65172684444453523252008-11-04T19:15:00.006-05:002008-11-17T16:34:50.830-05:00On the move...part 2I had to rent a truck in order to transport my belongings to PA. My dad offered a suggestion that proved most amusing in the follow-through.<br /><br />My dad is a fan of "<a href="http://www.history.com/minisites/iceroadtruckers">Ice Road Truckers</a>" and he learned a trick to check the tires on any large truck, in this case a moving van. It involves taking a baseball bat and taking a swing at the tires--if the bat bounces back satisfactorily, the tire is sufficiently inflated. If the bounce leaves something to be desired, the tire is probably flat.<br /><br />The day of the move, I set out to pick up the 16 foot truck and trendy, matching tow dolly for my car. As the rental place was just down the street from my house, I walked. Before I left, I asked my dad for the offered bat, thinking he intended to provide me with a small souvenir bat--the kind you can get at baseball games and that looks like it would make an effective and easily-concealed weapon. But, no, the only bat he could find on such short notice was a tee-ball bat from my youth. So, I slung the bat over my shoulder and proceeded down the street.<br /><br />Until very recently, I lived on one of the main thoroughfares in my hometown, so walking down the street, with the thoughtful, but somehow intimidating look on my face that I normally sport, I drew some strange glances and a few people gave me wide berth on the sidewalk. I walked into the rental place and without missing a beat, the owner said "If you're gonna rob me, you're gonna need more than a bat." No, I explained, the bat was for checking the tires on the van. He countered that he had already checked the tires and the oil. I said that I would like to check them all the same and proceeded out to the van, bat at the ready and I swung at all 8 tires [6 on the van, 2 on the tow dolly] and they all rebounded the bat to my satisfaction. I returned inside to a chuckling owner, who said he had never seen anyone do that before. When I told him it was an old trucker trick, he came back "I know! I used to drive trucks! In the 17 years I've been doing this, I've just never seen anyone do that before. I may have to tell some people about this."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-16994478399144638752008-10-30T19:50:00.004-05:002008-11-04T19:14:21.672-05:00Civic dutyI ventured downtown today in order to be a responsible citizen and cast my vote. As I expected, the main parking lot for the Board of Elections was full, but they were thoughtful enough to point the way to other parking venues. Unfortunately, one of the venues they indicated had several unmistakable signs indicating that parking in said lot in order to vote would result in one's car getting towed. Fortunately, there were several overflow lots that were not only free, but had actual parking spots available.<br /><br />The line itself was not bad. The local paper had likened it to a line at an amusement park--long, but in constant forward motion. The set-up was very well-organized and from the time I walked in to the time I left, it was only an hour. The news later reported people waiting in lines that extended out of the building and down the street, which I can only imagine probably quadrupled the wait, but it's good to see that people are actually voting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-24267448536657429782008-10-27T09:53:00.007-05:002008-10-27T10:29:45.579-05:00On the moveI am moving to PA! Finally my Beloved and I will actually live in the same house! [We've spent the past 8 1/2 years not even living in the same state.] It's been a crazy month trying to pack everything up for the move and there is still a whole lot of work to be done.<br /><br />For the past 2 years, my stuff has been taking up space in my dad's garage, haphazardly packed in cardboard boxes. So, I have been repacking everything...sorting out duplicate items for my little sister...throwing out things I should have discarded long ago...finding things I forgot I had...taking impromptu trips down memory lane and finding boxes of paperwork that need to be sorted through. Oy, the paperwork! I fear I will kill another of my dad's shredders trying to destroy all the stuff that is not safe to simply throw away. <br /><br />Mice have destroyed quite a few things [my favorite red chair among them--it was my first piece of furniture and it was ugly, but it was super-comfy] and in a way I am somewhat grateful for their destructive intervention. They have helped me whittle down my belongings to a more manageable size. There were things I was keeping that, for some reason or another, I felt I could not throw away, but once the mice had gnawed, nested or pooped on something, I found it much easier to discard the item. My only regret is I wish I had been more careful packing up my yarn...the mice chose some of the handspun wool over the cheap acrylic yarn, but I can't wonder at their choice of natural fibers over the synthetic. [sigh]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-60505643296973530482008-07-16T20:54:00.003-05:002008-07-16T21:18:53.480-05:00Watch me<a href="http://www.drhorrible.com/"><img src="http://www.drhorrible.com/images/banners/big_square.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Be sure to scroll down and read <a href="http://www.drhorrible.com/plan.html">The Master Plan</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18102312.post-59973321049635358412008-07-13T12:15:00.000-05:002008-07-16T21:15:55.436-05:00Why my dad rocksInstead of using this:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/?action=view&current=kenmore-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/kenmore-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I get to use this: [cue angelic choirs]<br /><br /><a href="http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/?action=view&current=janome-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/janome-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My dad bought a replacement pedal for the Janome and so this past weekend, I was finally able to assemble the skirt I made from my very own pattern [via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sew-What-Skirts-Fabulous-Fabrics/dp/1580176259/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216260257&sr=8-1">this book</a>] with this material:<br /><br /><a href="http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/?action=view&current=skirtprint-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/khover2002/skirtprint-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I will be wearing said skirt later this week and I will post pictures later...In the meantime, I will do the Dance of Joy!<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GfPg5LjGYz8&hl=" fs="1" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0