A Week Without the Internet

I'm still here, we just couldn't get online all of last week and this weekend. That makes blogging a challenge! haha I did get lots of little things done so I have some more things to show you. 

I already have itty-bitty toys, remember Santa? Well, I used one of my weekly coupons from Borders and picked up itty-bitty hats. My baby will be drowning in hats! This one's called the "pastel marley" hat, I mostly finished it last night but it still needs the wiggly bits on top. It's pretty big because I used monkey yarn to make it, not quite the right scale but I figure she'll grow into it and if she has a brother one day, he can wear it too.

The baby's room is a work in progress too! The curtains are made & hung, along with the new blinds. You can just see a glimpse of the wood panels on the left wall. It's all installed and primed now, I hope to get it painted in the next couple days (I think a crib may arrive at my door this weekend). What do you think so far?

Here's a little update on the granny square blanket. I'm happy. I just have about 24 more squares to make. 

I've completed the most fiddly and tedious part of the baby shower invitations. I need to get to the part where they say something and go into an envelope next. 

This is one of my next projects for the baby's room. I'm not telling exactly what it will be, but you'll see.

This goes with the Honey Bun & wreath above. (I got this book at JoAnn with a 50% off coupon! I love my coupons.) I want to make everything in this book! When the baby is big enough to dig her way out from under all the hats, she'll have to climb a mountain of knitted, sewn & crocheted toys. Poor little lamb.

So that's a taste of what I've been doing around here. I got the fabric to finish the baby quilt and I also made something for her room with these. I'll keep you posted. Now, I really must get to work on some custom coupon organizers for my shop.

One more thing! Trisha mentioned that I didn't blog about my cats much. You know, my "current" children? Here's a little taste of what a day in the life of Maple & Jody is like....

Yeah, she even goes for peanut butter cookies. I like to call her "The Bottomless Pit" (all 20+ pounds of her) or "Fluffy Princess".

Always interested in what's going on in the kitchen. So helpful.

Jody's more relaxed and mellow. Though he can be quite a pest when he needs a lap to sit on, he's a little relentless sometimes.

Can you tell which one's the toddler and which one's the teenager? Kids!

Don't worry, they both find time to rest.

What I Did on My Blog Vacation

I've been a busy little beaver since we last spoke. Fall has engulfed my house with leaves. The weather is cool and crisp. Visitors have come and gone and now I'm back to blog another day. I thought I'd ease my way back into it with a little photo essay of what's been happening up here in Seattle.

Chocolate cupcake recipes have been tested.

Treasures have been discovered in boxes.

Help has been given around the house.

Trips have been taken both near...

and far...

and a bit farther...

and farther still.

Fabric has been cut and turned into things.

That's just a glimpse. Phew, I'm tired, but it's nice to be back.

Ode to Kitties

So, I was tidying up for the onslaught of British relatives when I happened upon an email from my cat loving Aunt Kathy. She sent me this link and it made me laugh so hard I was crying about half way though. Please watch this, it's so funny!




And in support of my own feline family members...

These kitties melt my heart.


Have a great weekend, and give your pet some extra cuddles from me.

Trying to be Fair

I don't want to seem like a crazy cat lady, but I want to be fair to kitty #2. I've talked about Jody in the past and I've been feeling a little guilty about leaving poor Maple out. So, here she is in all her glory. We've recently discovered that she's probably of the Maine Coon persuasion. That would explain a lot of her weirdness. I've never had a cat that ate with her paws before, and she's pretty big, she towers over Jody. She's got fuzzy paws and loves a good cuddle. Just a lovely girl.
Okay, I feel better now. Back to the sewing room for me.

My Lovely Boy

Nope, this picture wasn't taken today. My little Jody-Jo is still at the hospital. Yep. He's had every kind of test, and passed them all. He's just not healing right. His latest catheter was in place for over 36 hours, up until about 6:30pm tonight. I spoke to the doctor just now & he says poor little Jody is still struggling to have a wee. If he doesn't produce for the doctors tonight, he'll probably need surgery. I only wish he could have had it a few days and few $1,000 ago. He's had to suffer all this time & now may have surgery. My poor little baby.
Thanks for all the well wishes & kind words from everyone, by the way. I told Jody that he has lots of friends out there thinking about him. I'm sure he appreciates all the love.

Where are they now?

With me!

Nick & I are now officially living in San Rafael with my kitties, Jody and Maple. I was pretty nervous about the car ride but it went very well. They went to the vet last week to get checked out for tranquilizers for the car trip, that all went well. Poor old Jody had to stay over night and have his teeth cleaned & some shots, but otherwise it went smooth.

They each had a tiny pill with a light breakfast before we got on the road. Neither of them went fully to sleep, but it definitely relaxed them. They were so good in the car we couldn't believe it. I only gave them the one pill each, and they were fine. Here's what they looked like about 5 or 6 hours into the trip. Gooood kitties.

We've now been in our new house for about 5 days. We're all adjusting well to our new surroundings. Nick & I have spent most of this week shopping. It's been fun, but tiring. We were able to buy a new bed on Tuesday which made life a lot better. I don't recommend air mattresses. eugh

Yesterday we took a drive to the coast on a long road that goes through some redwoods and some really beautiful hills. It took a while to get there, but it was worth it. It's very pretty around here, and that coastline was no exception.













I'm pretty sure this was the longest beach I've ever seen in California with no houses on it, very refreshing. It was really windy out on this point, I think it's Point Reyes. We passed a bunch of very old farms & lucky cows to find this lighthouse. It was so windy there that the stairway was closed, it made for some big waves too. We drove home via the north and passed even more beautiful rolling hills and some very expensive homes including Skywalker Ranch (super secret compound of Star Wars creator, George Lucas). Not too shabby, I must say.
Anyway, that's it for today. It's good to be landed. Now I just need my sewing room to get delivered. I think it's somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at the moment. :O

All Quiet on the Western Front

I don't like being homeless. It stinks! I haven't been able to post anything on my blog, make anything new...nothing. I don't like it at all.
For those of you keeping track of my move, I'm in California now. Good to be back in some ways. It's been 4 days since I landed and I've been running around the whole time. I think I've got nearly everything done that needs to be. Utilities turned on, cats have been to the vet, I've got my car back, all of my website products (well almost all) are in my posession, truck is partially loaded...what else can there be?
Nick is flying in, as we speak, so we can drive to the Bay Area tomorrow. I can't wait to see him. I think it must be a good sign when you miss someone so much. It's only been 4 or 5 days, what a sap. Anyway, I get to pick him up at LAX at 3pm today. Hooray! I know it's hard for him to leave home but I think we're in for a great adventure. (I'm not referring to the 7 hour drive with 2 cats either) I'm looking forward to getting settled in & making things again. It will be fun to be in a new place. I hope so anyway.
As for the crafty bits...I haven't really made anything all week. I got some new monkey yarn and lots of REALLY GREAT fabrics. Some I got in person, some from the mail man. I'll have plenty to do when we get moved in. I did make a new monkey on the flight home. The girl sitting next to me seemed very intrigued. He's called Charlie, but he's not for sale. I'm giving him to my friend David who's been looking after my 2 kitties for the past year. What a friend, eh? Actually, I think if he & his wife had a choice, they'd get to keep Jody & Maple. No dice! They're coming with me. Can't wait to get them tomorrow morning. Jody completely knows something's up, bless him. He's really smart that way, always knows what happening. Maple on the other hand, well, she's very pretty if you know what I mean. Ha Ha It'll be fun.
How's business? I sold a diaper bag and a pair of booties this week. Gave my niece the monkey you see here, Bruce, and sold 2 to my sister. Not bad for being so out of touch. I haven't been able to get online with my own computer so it's been difficult. Nick & I will have internet powers as of Tuesday morning at which point I'll be somewhat back in action. Anyway, so far, so good. Wish me luck...again. Oh yeah, I'll be doing the drawing for the monkey giveaway tonight, maybe I'll let Nick do it. :) Thanks for all the well wishes, it's nice to have friends.

Kitty Love

I'm taking a chance at being seen as a frumpy old crafter cat lady, but I can't help loving my kitties (I only have 2)! Lots of people write blogs about their pets. I know it can be a bit creepy, but I've been away from them for almost a year and I'm counting the days till I can be with them again. I miss Jody & Maple the most when I'm alone all day in my sewing room. Cats make a big difference in your life when you're alone. I'm terribly glad to have Nick, but he's gone to work about 12 hours a day! If my kitties were here, I wouldn't be lonely, ever!
We had cats when I was growing up & I've really gotten used to having them around. When I first came to the UK, I was a blubbering mess missing my babies. I know they're alright without me, they're cats! It took me a good month away from them before I could stop getting a tear in my eye when I thought of them. Now, I just look forward to having them in the house with me.
So, Jody & Maple, I'll be home soon. Hugs to Uncle David, Aunt Judy & Charlie Brown...Mooshie Mooshie