getting crafty!

On Saturday, I met with the DC Modern Quilt Guild for our monthly meeting. One of our new members was generous enough to open her home to us to meet at. She lives in Rockville in a 100 year old house that is so adorable. Also adorable is her two year old daughter who was there!

As always, when I came home, I was feeling a bit inspired, so I made a few things!

Here are two little holiday ornaments that I made. They were SO easy and took ten minutes each! I think I will be making lots of these little ornaments. I can use them with gifts, I think, to help decorate the packages!

Anyone want an ornament? :)

Here is a little "mug rug," as I am calling it. I suppose it could be a pot holder, but there is only one layer of batting inside. People seem to be making these to keep on their desk and put their cup of tea/coffee on. So, I suppose it is like a big coaster :)

This wonky "pattern" came from the first issue of Fat Quarterly, a new e-zine that I am loving. They have a special holiday issue coming out today that I plan to buy this afternoon!

I've also finally finished the baby quilt I've been working on, but I am not going to post pictures yet. The baby's mother sometimes reads my blog, and I don't want her to see pictures of it before it arrives at their home in Wisconsin! So, I'll be getting that in the mail soon and will then post some pictures! I am very pleased with how it came out.

The rest of the weekend was quiet. Steve was out of town, but did send me a dozen cupcakes and a vase of tulips and irises while he was gone, so that was very nice. Maybe I will post a picture of those tomorrow....

How was your weekend?

anthropologie does it again!

I know I am not the only fan of Anthropologie...yet again, I am lusting for their things!

How cute are these ladies-in-waiting dinner plates!?

I am pretty sure that I need them for happiness.

I just emailed them to Steve. He has not replied, but I am pretty sure that he will disagree with me about these :)

What are you lusting for today?

a cozy new quilt!

My mother made this gorgeous quilt for me!

It is using a type of fabrics called batiks. I've never used batiks, but from what I understand, people either love them or hate them!

It's also quite big, as you can see.

She showed it at a quilt show this past weekend, in NH. I wish I could have gone home to see it there, along with all of the others!

I can't wait until it is on my bed!

In related news, I am finished with the baby quilt that I made for my friend! I will post pictures of it later this week. I am pleased with it, despite the mistakes :)

picture book swap!

I just came across this blog, called Playing by the Book, and Zoe, the author is hosting a children's book swap! I really love this idea, so so much!

This swap is all about sending and receiving wonderful, indeed brilliant children’s picture books. It will be a way for you to spread the word about a picture book you are passionate about, and to discover another equally amazing book through a gift from someone else.

I've already signed up and I know just what book I will send. I don't know where my swap partner will be, but I am hoping for somewhere outside the U.S., as I'd love a children's book from the UK, or in another language!

Want to join? Go here and check it out. You'll have to send some information to Zoe and then she will match you up. So much fun!

So much fun, indeed.

bachelorette party weirdness

This weekend, Steve has a friend from high school who will be in town for a bachelorette party. She lives in Chicago. She asked Steve if she could stay with him, and he said yes.

Does this seem odd to anyone? Would you travel with friends for a bachelorette party, but then not stay with the party? I suppose it could be seen as a cost-saving method, but really, when I've gone to bach parties, there has been several girls, so the cost of a hotel room (or two) was minimal.

It just seems really strange to me. I wouldn't fly to Chicago with the bride and then not stay with her! Isn't she the reason why I am there? Of course, if I had other friends there, I would try to make plans to meet them for lunch or something, but if my main point of being there is for the bride, then I'd spend the majority of my time with her. If I wanted to see friends, I'd see about the possibility of staying an extra night or something. She arrives Saturday morning, and then I assume leaves Monday (long weekend!), but I don't know for sure.

Am I the only one who thinks this is bizarre? Thoughts?

Lexi & The Pioneer Woman = BFF

This past Saturday was the Library of Congress's National Book Festival, one of my favorite events of the year. Normally I go there with a schedule, having mapped out who I want to see and what time they were speaking and signing their books.

This year, my main priority to hear speak was Laura Bush, who founded the first NBF in 2001, her first year in the White House. She was speaking at 10:35 (no signings), so I got to her tent about 45 minutes before that, knowing that it would be crowded. Prior to Mrs. Bush, Gordon S. Wood spoke, discussing his books about the American Revolution. He was actually quite interesting and I think I will look for his books.

Then Mrs. Bush came out and spoke about how proud she was of the NBF and what it means to her. This was the 10th anniversary of it, so she was pleased that it has continued. She recently came out with a memoir, so she read from it, about 9/11. The first NBF was just three days before 9/11, she told us. She was wonderful and I was pleased to hear her speak. I really do admire her quite a bit. She's a former teacher and librarian, as you may know.

After that, Steve and I wandered a bit. There were other authors there, of course, but nobody that I was dying to see. I knew that the Pioneer Woman was there, but she had spoken at the same time as Laura Bush, so I missed her. Her signing was later that day, so I had my cookbook with me, just in case. I figured her signing line would be insane though, so it wouldn't have been the end of the world if she didn't sign it.

One of the tents held the Pavilion of the States, where each state has a table and sets up a display of authors from that state and the like. I was wandering through and came to the Oklahoma table, and there she was!

I couldn't believe it. I smiled at her and said "oh my gosh, hi!" I'm pretty sure that the eight-year old boy standing there had no idea who she was :) I asked her if she'd mind if I had my picture taken with her, and she said of course not, so I handed my phone to Steve and walked around the table. Then, I said "would it be really horrible of me to ask you to sign my cookbook now?" She laughed and said "no, then you won't have to wait in the line later!"

So she asked my name and how I liked the cookbook. Of course, I told her that I love it and how I received it in a cookbook swap from Mrs. Potts, which she thought was really cool! We chatted for a few minutes, she wrote me a love note and off I went a few minutes later.

She's such a doll. Really.

I think I want to move to Oklahoma and live on her ranch.

{the cookbook!}

{ hehe! }

{ chatting }

{ love to lexi!}

{ see, we're pretty much BFF now }

How was your weekend?

preptastic!

Have you read the new book, True Prep, by Lisa Birnbach, the author of The Official Preppy Handbook? Just saw this and thought it was cute.

I've been to a few of these, though not all. Guess I should try to hit them all?

Funny, my father is a big fan of The Tombs (a bar in Georgetown). Also, Steve is intrigued by Smith Point. Neither of us have been, but he wants to go. I keep telling him that he will hate it...he's not the preppy type :)

Source

LOVE this! I've seen it popping up on a few blogs, and wanted to share it...it's something I can relate to all too well!

What books are that special for you?

SOURCE

instructions for life

Love this.

(sorry if it appears too small on the page, and you have to click to make it bigger...not sure how to expand it myself)

Happy Friday!

Source

fall in a glass!

Doesn't this sound delightful???

(source- Capitol Hill Style)

The Normandy

From Xavier Herit at Daniel

Ingredients-

9 fresh cranberries2 thin slices green apple1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar1 tablespoon lemon juice1 tablespoon simple syrup1⁄4 cup good-quality CalvadosIce cubes

Directions-
In a cocktail shaker, muddle 6 cranberries, 1 apple slice, the brown sugar and lemon juice.
Add the simple syrup, Calvados and a few ice cubes.

Cover, shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.
Top with the remaining apple slice and 3 cranberries.
Serves 1.

bouquet toss dress!

How adorable and lovely is this dress, called the bouquet toss dress, from Anthropologie (of course!)?

I am in love. Serious love.

I left work early on Friday and popped over to Georgetown for some birthday gift shopping, and found myself in Anthro (shocker!) and saw this dress. Yes, I was shopping for Steve's birthday (not at anthro...maybe taking a break in there!) and saw this dress and of course, texted him a photo of it, saying how much I need it. Ha!

Question- what shoes would you wear with it???

on bridesmaids

This is a post that I wrote in September, but for some reason, it didn't get published. I just noticed it, and thought I'd post it now.

Over the weekend, I had three of my favorite girls in town for a visit. It was wonderful, in many, many ways. We studied together in Krakow, Poland and shared some really amazing experiences. One of the girls is in Boston, one in Philly and the third recently married a Scottish guy, had a baby and is living in Glasgow! Our lives are very different from the simple carefree days we shared, but we are forever linked by our memories of that incredible time.

We spent the weekend laughing and eating, for the most part. We had plans to visit some VA wineries, but ended up just hanging around the city and it was perfect. We talked about everything under the sun, looking at photos of Krakow and just laughed laughed laughed.

One of the girls told us about a wedding she attended in San Diego recently, for a college friend of hers. The friend is our age (30-31) and had seven bridesmaids. My friend seemed to think that this was a bit much. She said something like "now that we are in our thirties, it just seems silly to have that many bridesmaids."

Do you think this is true? If you are married, how many bridesmaids did you have? If you aren't yet married, how many do you think you might have? How many bridesmaids is too many, and does your age make a difference?

eggplant!

What would you do with this cute eggplant?

I went to lunch today and there was a farmers market in the cafeteria of my office building! For $10, I bought this eggplant, a cucumber, two Asian pears and two peaches. YUM!

on saving the babies

As I mentioned yesterday, I was recently selected to host a World Vision House Party that is supposed to be at the end of the month. While I am thrilled to have been chosen, I am feeling slightly conflicted about it. I feel a bit awkward asking people to sponsor a child.

I know that some people don't like attending parties that ask you to buy something, like Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, etc, and when you go to those, it is just a one time purchase. This is a monthly commitment that can go on for several years (I've had my Majlinda three years last month!) I certainly don't want to nose into anyone's financial situation, but I know that times are a bit tough for people right now.

As I've said though, this is a cause that I feel so strongly about, and I've really been so thankful to have it in my life, and it has become a big part of me. It's something that I want to continue with for as long as I can, and have my family and children involved (Steve already sponsors one little boy called Redion, also in Albania!). One day, I'd like to be able to visit my babies.

This party situation is unique in that you can host it in almost any way you wish. They give you suggestions, of course, but from there, it seems it is up to you. I will be receiving a box full of "favors," including tote bags, aprons and spatulas, and of course, information about sponsorship and children in need. They suggest making foods from those areas of the world and they send recipes and whatnot.

My question- what would you think if you were invited to a party like this? Would you feel obligated to sponsor a child? Would you just come to the party and eat the delicious food? Do you think that a party such as this is a bit odd?

Thoughts? Please share, I am curious!

ahhh, sweet September!

In case you missed the memo, today is September 1! I am so pleased and hope the next few months will be better than the last few. It may not have been apparent from my posts, but I've been in a bit of a funk this summer. Maybe I should write more about it, but right now, I don't want to go too into it, just hope that my mood will improve as the weather cools down.

September also means that new shows begin again! I'll be watching How I Met Your Mother, Law and Order: SVU, Survivor and Amazing Race for sure. Those are my top favorites, I think. What are your favorites?

Also, my giveaway ended yesterday and the big winner of the lovely Penelope apron is MANDY!!! If you don't read her blog, you really should. She's quite hilarious with the talers of her daughter, Vivian, the diva! Go say hi to Mandy!

Mandy, please send me your address so that I can get your Penelope in the mail!

Thank you all who entered. Consider hosting a Scarlet Threads giveaway of your own sometime (maybe for the holidays!), and check back, as it is highly likely that I will host another apron giveaway in the next few months. I'll also be hosting an apron party, I think, and let me know if you are interested in doing the same, as I will then put you in touch with the ladies behind Scarlet Threads and they will help you set it up!

In other exciting news, I was selected to host a World Vision House Party next month!

A House Party™ is thousands of parties across the country, hosted by people like you. Each event is sponsored by a leading brand and focuses on something cool that the sponsor wants its best fans to experience firsthand and share with their friends.

I think you know how much I love World Vision and my Albanian and South African babies, so I am really excited about this opportunity. Basically, I will have people over and share my story of sponsorship. I'd love it if others signed up to sponsor a child too, but I will admit, that I feel a bit awkward asking people to do that. A good thing about World Vision sponsorship is that you can be as involved as you want. Aside from the $35 monthly donation, the rest is really up to you. I'm very involved with my girls, so I write letters and send packages at least once a month, but others don't write, they just send the donation, and that is fine too. It's up to the individual.

If you are interested in attending my World Vision party virtually (or if you are in DC and want to come) please let me know. I can certainly pass along the information if you'd like to sponsor a child. I know it sounds cliche, but it will change your life, and I love having my girls in my life!

Any good news with you this week?