House of Steph

Checking in on the birdies

When we got home, I checked on the birdies and lookie what I found!

A great trip!

Wow! I can't believe how fast time flies, but also how long it feels since we left for our trip. We.had.a.BLAST. in New York and Atlantic City. The day off between fun and work yesterday was flat-out required. We were so exhausted when we got home! I think we got about five or six hours of sleep the whole time we were gone! Yikes. I can't wait to go back! Here's a picture story of our trip.

First: Empire State. We went to the top!

The view from our room at night. So gorgeous. It was L-Shaped, so we had two views: to the right was the water, and out front--the Chrystler Building.

Next: The Borgata in Atlantic City. We took a bus trip (2.5 hours!) to get there. Lots of knitting/sleeping.

The view from our room at the Borgata:

Next day: Back to NY to get the flight home. We spent most of the time near Times Square. We came, we saw, we went to Kinokuniya Japanese Book Store, we ate, we left.

Lunch at Bryant Park.

Wooo! All the supplies!

I want to go back right now!

...Except next time, no $20 blackjack tables for me! (Shit....) Got to rebuild my bank roll.

Eggcelent!

Ed and Norma Finch are babysitting an egg in our fern!  :)    These birds sing so much and so LOUDLY! I love them. So glad they chose our fern....Although I'm a little worried about watering it, etc. Please don't kill my fern, you little birdies!





So excited about my New York/Atlantic city trip! B and I are taking a short vaca next week. Today is my last day of work, then FIVE DAYS OFF! Weeeeee!

Lightning does strike twice...

B (almost) won the lottery TWICE last week! He's seriously on to something. He's up by $600+ so far, which will pay for our trip to NYC (flights only, right?)! He got four of the five numbers in the Carolina 5, which is a progressive jackpot that starts at $50K. The times he won, the jackpot was $178K and $340K. That would be nice, right? Kinda sickening to be so close to winning that much dough.  The first time he was only off by one digit on the number he missed!  Seems he regularly wins three of the five numbers, and now he's graduating to four of five!  Keeping fingers and toes crossed. He's going to win... It's just a matter of time.  



Crazy weather these days...  We had a really crazy storm yesterday. Had to find homes for all the plants, including our hanging fern which was swinging 90 degrees on it's hook due to the wind! Had to take it down to make sure our finch nest would be okay. Have I mentioned that we have a nest in our fern??  I'm sure the finches were not too happy about this, but at least they know now we're trying to look out for them! :) I tried to get a quick photo of the nest, but it's way down in there. I'm naming the birds Ed and Norma. I hope they like their new little home.

Ticket Part II

I know, it's been a little while...

Last Monday, I went to pay my stupid traffic ticket. This is AFTER I went to court on the 21st of last month to try having it reduced. That worked, but I had to sit with the masses after having been up all night the previous night with food poisoning. THAT was fun... The whole time I was there, I was seconds from going up to the DA's desk and telling them I would have to be back another time for fear I might barf near someone if I stayed. Luckily I was called quickly and I promptly went home afterward without staying to pay the fine. Thus, I went last Monday to pay it.

I parked about three blocks away--NOT New York City blocks, but Queen City blocks. I had plenty of time to get there, pay and be out before major traffic started, but I forgot I'm working on "Steph Luck". The security guy said hello, I tossed up my bag, my keys, and my shoes on the conveyor belt to be X-rayed. I beeped on the way through--OH, Whoops! I have a box-cutter in my pocket since I just left work!

Me: Oh God! I'm sorry, I just got off work. Here! You can keep it. I am so sorry. (Laughed) Didn't mean to bring THAT to the city courthouse...
Guard: Yeah, that's not going to make it.
Me: (Still chuckling nervously, but casually.) Really, I'm sorry.
Guard: You have an electronic device in your bag other than your cell phone.
Me: Must be my camera. Here--I'll show you....
Guard: Yeah, and do you keep a swiss army knife on your keychain?
Me: Oh, um, can you hold it for me if I take it off?
Guard: You're going to need to go back to your car and drop this stuff off. We can't allow you to pass.
Me: Fine.

I grab my purse and go back to the car.

This time, I get the wallet, my keys--SANS swiss army, and check through the monstrous bag and think to myself, eh--I'll just put the whole thing in the back. I have what I need. So I strut back to the courthouse (three blocks, in not-comfortable shoes) and get to the guard stand with plenty of time to get through to the cashier. This time I get through just fine.

Fine until the guard says, "You DO have a copy of your ticket, right?"
Me: Oh, DAMMIT! It's in my purse--in the CAR! THREE BLOCKS THAT WAY! (points)
Guard: Well, you can get another one from that office, right there.
Me: Ok, thanks.

I ask for a copy of the thing, and the lady says that the reduced fine is not listed. Still says 50 in a 35 zone, and my insurance is sure to go up if I don't get the original with the hand-written 40 in 35 zone stuff from the DA. Oh yeah, and if I don't pay today, it will have a late fee assigned for $100.

Me: $100? If I don't pay today? I HAVE THE WORST LUCK!! (Storms out of the office and back to the car.)

Ok, this time I'm walking FAST... IN TERRIBLE shoes that I've been wearing all day at work with no socks (because socks would not look cute with those shoes). Shit. Five till. I'm not going to make it. I grab the damn purse, throw on some Converse Chucks with my work outfit--ew--and then I start to run. YES, THREE BLOCKS, I run back to the courthouse. I don't run. Running does not work out for me. But this time, I ran like there was no tomorrow. It sucked very much.

Guard: Oh, you again. It's too late. They've closed.
Me: JUST LET ME THROUGH. WHERE'S THE CASHIER??

I still have the camera, phone, and no keychain this time, so I guess that's why he let me through. I'm sweaty and mad.

Guard: Go downstairs and to the left.

I RUN down the escalator and to the cashier window. All the lights are off and the curtain is being lowered to the ONE window that's no longer open....

Me: PLEASE!! (Running with ticket waving in the air.) PLEASE LET ME PAY MY TICKET!!
Clerk: I'm sorry, ma'am, we're closed.
Me: BUT, I WENT BACK TO MY CAR THREE TIMES! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! PLEASE!
Clerk: (Silence)
Me: (I'm talking through the curtain and under the small opening in the window) They told me it's going to get a late fee if I don't pay today... Could you please?
Clerk: Do you have exact change?
Me: I don't know how much it is.
Clerk: Let me see your ticket.

I hand it to her and explain that I was sick on the day I came to court, etc., and that I've been working 60 to 70 hours per week since then. She glances up to me, and says it will be $130. I only have 20's.

Here's $140 and you can keep the change!
Clerk: I can't take your money...
Me: But you deserve it! Please, can I still pay?
Clerk: Okay, I'll do it.
Me: Sweating and almost whining--THANKS! THANKS SO MUCH!

She was counting her till for the day's deposit.

So she takes my money, and I drag myself back to the car only to sit in traffic for an hour after all that. I glanced down at the receipt from the parking deck. I arrived at 4:41, paid the ticket at 5:09, and didn't get home until after 6:30. What a sorry-ass weird afternoon.

The worst thing is that when I called B to let him know I'd be detouring to the courthouse before coming home for the day, he reminded me about all the stuff I carry in my purse that might keep me from getting through....

Okay, yeah, okay, I said.

(I hate it when he's right.) You win, B. You always do.

Barcelona Skirt (or Freedom Park Skirt)

I finished another Barcelona Skirt on Monday, but I've been slack about getting some pictures of it.

I really love Amy Butler's Midwest Modern line. The color schemes and pattern especially inspire me this time. Sometimes I love her stuff so much that I buy a bunch of it, then don't know what to do with it because it overwhelms me. I've tried getting out of this by making sure I have a pattern in mind--for real--before I buy any fabric! And if not, I just get a fat-quarter of it. :)

My sidekick always has to be in the picture!

I made the size large for the layered skirt I made from this pattern last month, but since losing almost 15 lbs. it has quickly become a little too big. I cut this skirt from the same size but altered the seam allowances to 6/8" instead of 1/2" and it fits great now. Hopefully it will be too big by the time I make the next one (even though I will be a little sad) because I still have about 15 lbs. to go! :) For detail, I left the bottom hem fringed. B and I love the layered skirt because of that little fringed edge. I hoped to capture that same look with this skirt, too.

There was knitting at the park, too. And strangely, the yarn matches the skirt perfectly...

I got a little more fabric yesterday, but no pics to show yet. Sewing Arts Stufio is having a 20% off sale! Not as good as Textile Fabrics' sale, but a sale nonetheless. :)

A new green thumb?

I present to you the new kids, in all of their beauty!

I have a new love for the outdoors, thanks to living in the LOWcountry last year. I brought a little back to my new place. Seems I'm really jonesing for something organic these days. Usually I am the kiss of death when it comes to gardening. When shopping for flowers and plants, it's as if flowers all look the other way, shuddering to think I might take them home and KILL them. Poor plants, I love them so. Hopefully I will have better luck this year.... Hope is not all lost--yet. I brought our ivy plant from last summer back to life by trimming and grooming him. I must say I'm quite proud! The porch is going to be fantastic when we finish replanting everything in their new planters and baskets. Keeping fingers crossed that there will be no casualties until then.

Oh, and lately I've been on somewhat of a crafter's shopping spree! I can't be stopped. Here's a sample:

Mmmm! Fabric and yarn and books and magazines and patterns! I seriously need help. There's no finished objects to show! Hope I don't fall in a slump due to supply overload. SO MANY things in my mental queue...

I gotta say, I really LOVE Sewing Arts Studio! I remember a day when I cursed them for their shop hours, but their fabric selection and stylish pattern choices make up for it ten-fold! I always find something EVERY time I go there, even if I'm "not" looking for anything (...is there ever a time I'm not looking?).

I got the below fabrics at the Charlotte Quilter's Guild Annual Quilt Show last month. I found another new vendor, and she only carries Japanese import fabrics! Hope to talk her into getting some Kokka or Yuwa stuff, because as of now, she doesn't carry it.... These are pretty cute, though!

Okay, now I'm off to make something--RIGHT NOW--even if it's really small. Must have finished object.