Other Peoples' Crafts

My dad bought this vintage motorcycle when I was just a baby. In October, he finally finished restoring it to it's full 1967-y glory. John made this little mini movie to commemorate the occasion.

You can also see some of the beautiful-ness of the little Northern Utah valley where I spent the first 20 years of my life. Love those mountains...

1967 Aermacchi Harley-Davidson Restoration from John Stephens on Vimeo.

Music by Kidnap Kings -- a new fav-favorite!

I'm having a hard time coming up with blog content since all of my projects at the moment are gift-related! I do have a couple of things to show you, just as soon as I manage to get some pics taken!

Oh. Yes.

I may have gone to see this last night wearing a Twilight hoodie. I may have gasped, clapped, or squealed at key moments. And I may be seeing this 2-3 more times this week. At least.

Ruth and I went to the ArcLight in Sherman Oaks last night and it was AWESOME. I think it's my favorite theater. You have assigned seats and they don't let late-comers into the theater. Plus -- look at the sweet lit up collage that took up an entire wall...






I went into this movie fearing and expecting the worst. I left feeling very satisfied and happy with it. It may be confusing/boring to people who haven't read the books, but I loved it!! There were a few things that were less than perfect, but overall I am pleased. And need way more! :)

What did you think?

P.S. Holy crap the new Harry Potter trailer is so incredible!! I get the chills every time I see it. How are we supposed to wait for 8 more months!?!?!

A Bunch of Rambling and Talk of a Delicious Soup

I just had to write and share my excitement. It's COLD outside, people. Now, understand that by "cold" I mean "under 70 degrees". The fact is, it's 68 degrees. I know that in most parts of the world, 68 degrees is nowhere near cold but to me, here in this land of fiery temperatures for 98% of the year, it's downright chilly.

Evidence: I had to wear a jacket when I went for my hair appointment.
Conclusion: It is chilly.

This thrills me to no end. There are LEAVES on the GROUND, thanks to the breeze. I have all the windows open and...I am not sweating. That is definitely news worthy considering I've been a sweaty, gigantic walrus for the past several months.

Also, the google weather thingy says it might rain. It's blue-skied and sunny right now, but there are some fluffy clouds around the edges so...maybe?? I do hope so.

I made Bean and Bacon Soup (from Real Simple February 2005) last night for dinner. I've been making it for a couple of years now and it's absolutely my favorite -- with a big chunk of sourdough bread to dip in it. I always make a double batch and then freeze what we don't eat the first night -- this way we have 3-4 two person meals ready to go. And this is a soup that's always better the next day or two weeks later. It is so so good.

I want to make an apple pie right now. And wear boots and tights and a sweater. And go on a hay ride and rake some leaves. And then sit by a fire this evening and drink a hot beverage. With my family. I miss my family.

At least my mom is coming tomorrow! We pick her up from the airport at noon and I'm counting down the hours. This is only the second time she's ever come to visit while we've lived here so it's very exciting.

I have a couple of projects to finish but I'm not feeling very motivated. I need to sew two birthday presents for next month so that I don't have to worry about it then. At least the cutting is done. I DESPISE the measuring and cutting part of any sewing project. If I were rich I'd hire someone to do it for me, cause seriously, it drives me insane.

Alright, this is turning into a bunch of rambling. But I just had to share the good news -- 68 degrees! I'm going to go sew for a bit and then lay on the couch for a bit, now. Hopefully we're going to go see The Darjeeling Limited tonight -- but it's only playing in Santa Monica and Century City, so we'll see if I'm feeling up to the drive tonight. It'll most likely be our last childless Friday night and the last movie we go to for awhile so...we've got to live it up!

Have a fabulous weekend my friends! Hope it's fallish where you are.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Well well well. This week has brought about a few unexpected haps. It started with my doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I thought it was going to be a normal, boring, mostly pointless appointment like usual: wait to see the doctor for 40 minutes, have him poke my belly a couple times and then we're out. But, it turned into something much more. I thought the swelling I've had in my legs/ankles/feet was pretty normal. Annoying, but normal. My mom had swelling with all of her pregnancies and I thought it was something I'd just have to deal with.

But, apparently, mine is "severe" and the doctor ordered me to go on disability starting Monday. This is a full 5 weeks earlier than planned. Yikes! I will basically be on bed rest, though, as long as the swellng stays down, I can spend 1 hour up for every 2 hours I'm laying down. So...wow. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be put on bed rest. I don't know why, but I just have felt like I'm sort of immune to any sort of complications. I guess in the same way teenagers think they're invincible. Luckily, this one isn't that serious and there's nothing wrong at all with the baby. But, it's weird.

So, I'll be doing a lot of laying around for the next 9 or so weeks before this little boy joins our family. I'm bummed that I have to spend so much time that could be spent sewing/organizing/cleaning/hanging out with my brother, being bored and in bed...but hopefully on my "up" hours I can get some things done. I'm also bummed about the extra burden this has put on my employer and everyone I work with, but my job is a whole other issue that I'm not even going to talk about here...way too complicated and stressful. I may have gotten an ulcer this past week just worrying about that.

In other news, I've developed a disgusting sore on my lip that hurts like the dickens and is driving me nuts. I've never seen anything like it. And hope to never again.

Anyway, this is a lame-o entry filled with whining and feeling sorry for myself. Sorry about that. So, I think I'll end this on a positive note and borrow an idea from one of the ladies whose blog, creative little daisy, I read regularly. Autumn does a "Graditude Friday" entry almost every week. I think that's what I need now...

1) I'm grateful to have my best friend, and truly my soulmate, as my husband.


2) I'm grateful for my health and (mostly) sanity.

3) I'm grateful for this baby who will make us into a little 3-person family in a couple months. A dream come true.


4) I'm grateful to have a friend who will surprise me with a piece of Double Dark Chocolate Crack (err...Cake) when I've had a hard week/day, even after she's worked a 12 hour day herself.


5) I'm grateful for my family, who I know love me and support me.


And speaking of A Series of Unfortunate Events -- I LOVE that movie, yo. It's not even so much the story but the visuals. Brilliant. Especially the credits. Never before have I put in a dvd just to watch the credits. :) If you haven't seen this film yet, please do. Plus I want to be Violet Baudelaire. Or at least have her wardrobe.