House of Steph

That's "MISTER Roosevelt" to you ma'am

Babs got a haircut...

...and he looks SO fab!

Guess we got lucky. I used a new groomer and I NEVER like the way people groom my boy, even when it looks good! hah! My boy is so handsome. :) I gave him a new bandana because the other one was gay. Happy weather here for dog walking! And knitting on the porch.

New yarn!

This will be used for the Retro Redux Shrug in Lace Style. Can't wait to cast on for it, but I'm in the middle of two other big projects... Got to tame the knitting A.D.D. sometimes, I suppose.

I say, Let My People Be Weird

I've had a few days off from work and have lately had time (and inclination) to reflect upon the last few years of my life. For one reason or another...um, I dunno...seems the pictures speak volumes...I have come to the realization that the people I know are completely insane. Yes, I include myself, but everyone already knows that. And yes, mom, I mean you. But I also mean B, and my brother, and of course, Roosevelt, and Joe, and alll my cousins, and Shannon, and the people I've liked at work, and especially Dad--we all knew Dad would be in the list, right? I laugh so hard with my family and friends. What a crazy bunch of fools. Check the sample of freak-dom:

Dook, you definitely take the cake. Fo Sho.

Beach Bound!

I missed it so bad I decided to take a short-type road trip! :)

See ya on the beach!

Barcelona Skirt

Lucky me? I can't believe it didn't rain on my days off. Things might just be lookin' up. Yesterday was a sincerely beautiful day, and the weather today was even better. I finished this Layered Skirt from Amy Butler's Barcelona Skirt pattern just in time for spring!! I just love Amy's patterns, and of course it's no secret that I love her fabric, too. I was the FIRST person to snatch up this awesome green piece from my local shop. Seriously--the FIRST customer to purchase stuff from her new line on THE DAY it came in. I have been awaiting the day I can wear this skirt since the week I purchased the pattern at Textile Fabrics in Nashville while visiting mom and dad a while back.
I finished the skirt about five days ago, but I dreaded sewing the dreadful hem. Why are skirt hems so damn dreadful, anyway? Maybe I'm just weird. It wasn't that bad after all... Since finishing the layered skirt went so quickly and rather painlessly, I promptly cut out a second Barcelona skirt. This time it will be the A-line version. And yes, I got more of the new Amy Butler fabric. :) The new line is called Midwest Modern and can be found here. Just love it so much! I'm really into the grey-yellow-white combination lately. Very spring. The pattern's all cut out--I just need to sew it up. Should take about an hour or two. (It's been cut out and waiting on the table for a week now.) But I got a little distracted...

Next up: Around the world. (Or I might name it Polly.)

I got the idea from The Purl Bee, a site I love love love and visit every day hoping for new inspiration. Originally I got the fabric with the intentions of making the little quilt from Bend the Rules Sewing... I cut the strips and everything, but I just couldn't make it work. I can't wait to finish this one. :) More on this topic later, because we all know how I love to procrastinate... So many projects, so little time (or time off).

20/20 hindsight

I never thought the day would come when I would miss that Island in the Stinky South. Alas, the time has come. Nothing was simple there. Nothing. It felt like it took an hour to go ANYwhere even if it was five minutes up the street. The traffic was stupid. The people were dirty (and mostly stupid). Work was TERRIBLE. I will never miss anything about the job aspect. However......

The weather was fantastic, and so was the scenery. I think it was the organic flow of everything that made people love it there. Once I got used to the shops around town and found my way with that, shopping wasn't really that bad. And most of all, nothing was cookie-cutter about any of it--something I didn't appreciate until I was gone.

On a nice day like today, where it's slightly breezy and sunny out, I miss the beach. I have come to miss feeling like I'm a lone soul finding my way through the middle of nowhere. I miss the emptiness. I miss my yarn shop and my little kooky quilt shop (although my shops here are MUCH better...). I especially miss the fantastic thrift shops and boutiques. I almost want to say it's time for me to take a road trip to Savannah just to get some shoes! Why in a city that's so posh and materialistic can't I find any shoes??? It blows my mind.

I miss my duck pond and my weird little town home. I miss my great sewing room and listening to music in there! (I DON'T MISS the horrible street our neighborhood was on, though.) I miss knowing the codes to get into places and having connections all over town. I miss the May River and I definitely miss the quiet. Isn't it just how it always goes... You want change so bad for 18 months, and when it finally comes...well? Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Places become different when you're only visiting I guess.