Craft Shows and Birthdays and Baby Showers!

It's been an eventful couple of weeks since I last posted.

I wrapped up the craft show season the weekend before Thanksgiving:

But when that was over, I also made a couple of sales on Etsy.  Hopefully there will be more this month, but the inventory in my shop is a bit thin and I haven't had time to take more pictures.

I also had a fabulous 30th birthday at the end of the month!  I took a half day at work, and then had to go for an ultrasound during the afternoon.  My doctor was a bit concerned that the baby might be measuring small, so he wanted to have a growth scan done, and it turns out everything is perfect, and she's not actually small.  She's measuring in the 48th percentile, and we were able to double check and make sure she's definitely a girl.  I know mistakes are rare, but people apparently just LOVE to tell pregnant ladies about someone they knew who was told the wrong sex. ;-)

After a successful ultrasound, my husband and I met up with my parents, his parents, and his youngest brother (who shares a birthday with me) for some hibachi and sushi.  I like California rolls and all, but after I have this baby I am going to eat soooo many salmon rolls and spicy tuna rolls!

When dinner was over, Glen and I met up with some friends at The Bookstore for dessert and drinks:

They were able to make me some super tasty non-alcoholic drinks, and the creme brulee was delicious.  So much fun. :-)

The day after my birthday was the baby shower.  The date wasn't a surprise, since given the schedule I keep there is a good chance I'd have missed it if I didn't know to keep the date clear, but I wasn't clued in on any of the details.  My mom, mother-in-law, best friend, and sister-in-law all did an amazing job, and I had such a great time!

Of course, now Stormageddon's nursery is a bit of a disaster area:

Oh, and for the record: those pictures were taken AFTER my mom helped me "organize" things.  I definitely have my work cut out for me.  But I won't complain, I am just so grateful that this baby already has so many people who care about her and want to get her off to a good start!

One of my friends helped get us stocked up on cloth diapers - she bought us a bunch of prefolds and covers, and turned them into "diaper babies" complete with googly eyes.  How adorable are they?!

 

And since I've fallen behind on belly pictures (we missed week 30, but week 31 is a pineapple, so it's all good because pineapples are delicious!!), here's the one picture I actually have from the shower so far, of my belly with diaper baby googly eyes on it:

What's the verdict on that picture: cute or creepy?? ;-)

What Calm Before the Storm?

This weekend has been an absolute whirlwind of a weekend, some good, some not so good.

Things started out on a pretty sour note, when we found out that Glen's car is in need of a new transmission.  In light of the fact that he drives a '99 Kia Sephia, that's not an investment we're willing to make, so now we're on the hunt for a new car for him.  Not happy about having to spend the money, but excited that we will hopefully have not one, but two, relatively new, reliable cars.

We actually got the bad news about Glen's car in between his cousin's wedding ceremony and reception.  I spent the cocktail hour commiserating with my sister-in-law, because as you will see if you hop on over to her blog, October has not been a good month for the Tickle boys' cars.  Despite being bummed about the car situation, the reception was a good time, as evidenced by one of Glen's tweets from that night:

Gotta love swing dancing with my father-in-law!

I was up bright and early Saturday morning for my first craft show of the season:

I was pleasantly surprised by sales for the day.  October shows are usually a bit slower, since people aren't necessarily thinking of Christmas shopping yet, but I made a decent number of sales, and things usually pick up a bit more for the November shows.  I originally hadn't planned anything for December, but I'm debating trying to find a show on December 8.  Maybe my big 7-months-pregnant belly at that point will give sales a nice little bump. ;-)

After getting home from the craft show, we had to run some errands to make sure we were ready for the upcoming storm, making sure we were stocked up on dog food and degu food, as well as non-perishables that can be cooked on our gas range, should we lose electricity.  Lots of canned soups and Chef Boyardee, as well as pasta and oatmeal, and fresh fruit.  

Once errands we done, we took a drive down to Philadelphia for our friend Eric's 30th birthday party.  We haven't seen him since December, which is way too long, especially compared to the days when we all went to the same college and he and Glen were roommates.

Here's Glen with the birthday boy:

Don't be fooled by that casual pose.  They spent a disproportionately large portion of the evening hugging one another. ;-)

Glen and I spent a good chunk of the night hanging out in Eric's back yard, which was all brick and greenery and twinkly lights.  The weather was gorgeous, and even my chronically-cold self was comfortable without a sweater for the earlier part of the party.  Here's an cute photo Eric took last night and sent to me this morning:

We didn't get home until nearly 3:30 this morning, but it was totally worth the lack of sleep!

Now I'm just relaxing at home, recovering from the busy weekend and trying to figure out the odds that I'll be going into work the next couple of days, seeing as the governors of both NJ and PA have declared states of emergency due to the havoc Hurricane Sandy is expected to wreak.

I hope all my fellow northeasterners stay safe these next few days!  Is anyone out there hosting or attending a hurricane party?? ;-)

Wedding Shenanigans

On October 6, one of my very best friends (who was the maid of honor in MY wedding!) got married.  It was a beautiful wedding, and I'm so happy for her!

I just had to take a minute share this picture that Glen took during the reception.  I feel like it sums up the dynamic of our marriage pretty well.  It started out as a nice self-portrait of the two of us, but at the last second he made a ridiculous face and I started laughing:

This is what happens when you marry someone you've know since middle school.  ;-)

You Know You've Gone Too Long Without Posting When...

... You check your email and find a note from a concerned reader asking if everything is ok. 

Don't worry, folks, I am alive and well! 

Work has been pretty crazy lately, I've been spending a lot of time outside my office around people I don't know well, or at all.  As an introvert, this has been kind of rough psychologically, since spending time around people, especially those I don't know well, can be draining.  Combine that with a busy concert season, some extra hours at the library, and lots of social stuff going on this summer, and I just haven't been inclined to do anything except zone out in front of the TV when I actually have some free time.

I do have a few amusing photos to share from the past month and a half, though!

In case anyone was wondering what I wake up to most mornings:

Elvis is super excited right now, because earlier this month, we finally had a fence put in!  Now he can run around the entire back yard all he likes, and he has been taking full advantage of the situation.

I've been showing this photo to pretty much everyone.  Even though I look kind of awful in it, Bailey's curiosity with the camera on my phone is just too amusing not to share:

I was trying to get a picture of me with both the degus to send to my husband, at the last possible second Bailey decided to upstage Barnum.  I love that you can see his little orange teeth. :-)

One of my very best friends is getting married this fall, and her bridal shower was in June.  As so often seems to be the case, I was nominated to make the hat.  We were kind of ill-prepared for hat-making, but somehow I managed to attach every last bow and ribbon to a single paper plate without a single piece of tape:

And while we're talking bridal showers, over the weekend I attended a coworker's bridal shower.  It was a gorgeous day, and it was an outdoor shower, basically in the middle of nowhere.  Here's my view of the giant cornfield that was literally right next to where I was sitting:

My blog hasn't been the only victim of my busy schedule.  My poor little jewelry business has fallen by the wayside these past few months as well.  I tend not to do many shows during the summer anyway, but I haven't been able to find a single show I'd have been available for so far this year.  It seems like there is something going on every single weekend!  But now that fall is approaching, I need to get in gear and start scheduling some shows!  Wish me luck. ;-)

Happy (Belated) New Year!

Yup, I'm still alive.  My original intent was to just take the week between Christmas and New Years off from blogging, but I accidentally added an extra 5 days. Sorry about that!

Anyway, I did spend plenty of time relaxing and reading.  Last week I read Fathers and Sons, Sleeping Arrangements, and My Life as a Furry, Red Monster.  Yes, that's Turgenev, chick lit, and an autobiography by a Muppeteer.  I'm very well-rounded. ;-)

Anyway, here's a quick recap of my break:

Our fireplace was pretty great even when it was broken...

But it was even better after we got it fixed!!!

I got to spend lots of time with these handsome guys.

Unfortunately, this little guy (Sery) passed away a couple of days after Christmas. He was getting up there in age (most rats only live 2-3 years, he was 2 years and 8 months) so it wasn't entirely unexpected, but I will still miss him very much.

As usual, we spent New Years Eve in Wildwood with some friends from college.  This was the view from our balcony.

So pretty. :-)

Oh, and Glen was interviewed about our dog Elvis on Coffee with a Canine, check it out!

I hope 2012 is treating everyone well so far!  How did you ring in the new year??

Sinatra Night 2011

If you've been reading this blog for at least a year, you know that Glen and I have a tradition of celebrating Frank Sinatra's birthday by getting dressed up and inviting our friends over for booze, food and Rat Pack music.

Frank's birthday fell on a Monday this year, so we celebrated two days early.

Please forgive the glare in that picture... It didn't occur to me at the time that we were standing right in front of a window.  Oops!

By the way, that's the dress my parents got me for my birthday.  It's the first piece of clothing I've gotten from ModCloth and I'm kind of in love.  I think I may be addicted now...

One of the highlights of my night was getting to spend time with these lovely ladies!  We all went to high school together, and I've known each of them for anywhere from 14 to all of my 29 years! 

This may very well be my favorite photo of the evening.  Right in the middle of the party, Elvis decided it was nap time.  He climbed right on Glen's lap, curled up, and went to sleep. 

As always, we had a wonderful time, and I'm already looking forward to next year's party! :-)

Happy Halloween!

I know I said I'd have pictures of my Halloween costume up yesterday, but when we got home from the Halloween party, we came home to this:

Thanks, nor'easter in October!

We spent the morning (and part of the afternoon) turning that mess into this mess: 

By the time evening rolled around I just wanted to sleep. ;-)

Anyway, here's my Amelia Pond costume in its entirety:

Just pretend my hair is the same color as what was on the box.

And here I am with my husband, the 11th Doctor (and his brand new sonic screwdriver):

Since I put so much effort into my costume, I decided to dress up again to hand out candy to the trick-or-

treaters tonight, but sadly not a single one knew who Amelia Pond is. :-(

Oh, and Glen was filming a segment tonight for his November show at SteelStacks, so this is the type of scene trick-or-treaters were likely to encounter:

Tyler and Mike, two of the show's writers/correspondents.

Something tells me this is going to negatively impact the number of trick-or-treaters we get next year.  Or just completely change the demographic. ;-)\

Handmade Halloween: A Retrospective

Ever since my first Halloween, I've had a long-standing tradition of wearing handmade costumes.  This tradition was started by my very talented mother, who made all the costumes from my early years:

Me as a witch in 1984. 



Me as She-Ra in 1986.  One of my absolute favorite costumes ever.

Sometimes I'd make costumes completely on my own, with no intervention from my mother:

This is what happens when you leave a not-quite-8-year-old to her own devices. In case you couldn't guess, I was a Martian in 1990.


And sometimes, your Catholic school decides that the only way students are allowed to wear costumes for Halloween is if they dress up as saints:

Here I am as Kateri Tekakwitha in 1993. 
I designed this costume based on illustrations from a biography of her, and my mom sewed it.



Fast-forward to fall of 2003, my junior year of college, and the She-Ra costume returned, this time made 100% by me.



That's my good friend Jency as Harry Potter on the left. 
And that is definitely not an alcoholic beverage in my hand 1 month before my 21st birthday.

I kind of cheated in 2007.  I didn't actually MAKE my costume so much as cobble it together from things I found in Halloween stores and things I already owned.  The skirt and boots were already in my wardrobe.  I bought the wig, pitchfork red fishnets and t-shirt.

You can't see it in this picture, but my t-shirt says "I feel a sin coming on."  Classy, I know. ;-)



This year I've returned to the grand tradition of a proper handmade costume.  The only element I purchased from a Halloween store was the hat, which was still modified.  Everything else was thrifted, already in my closet, or made from scratch.  Also, I returned to the grand tradition of asking my mom for help.  Here's a little sneak preview:

Doctor Who fans will probably guess that my costume is Amelia Pond.  My husband already dresses like The Doctor most of the time, so his costume mostly involved updating his sonic screwdriver to the 11th Doctor's, since until this week he only had the 10th Doctor's.  We'll be attending a Halloween party this weekend, so expect pictures before Sunday's over. :-)

Are you going to any Halloween parties?  What are you going as?

Mood Lighting

If you've been reading my blog for awhile now (or if you know me in person), you probably know that one of the highlights of the summer for me is the Perseid meteor shower in August.

You might also remember that back in June I mentioned that I got some cool ideas from the garden tour I went on with my mom.

One of the ideas I got on the garden tour was to use mason jars to make lanterns to hang near the firepit. I decided to check out a local thrift store for mason jars, but no luck. I did find some cute little glass containers that would work just as well though! I rigged them up with wire and tealights and hung them from the cherry tree in our back yard:



This year, the Perseids peaked August 12-13, Friday into Saturday, so naturally I decided to take advantage of the timing and throw a party. I think the lanterns hanging from the tree near the fire pit created some nice mood lighting for the event:


It was a clear night, and despite the bright moon we managed to spot some meteors! Definitely a welcome change from the last two exceedingly cloudy years.

Also, there were s'mores. Lots and lots of s'mores. :-)

Saturday in the Park with Elvis

I spent yesterday afternoon hanging out at the park with Glen, Elvis, and a whole bunch of extended family for a family reunion. It rained, so a lot of time was spent inside the pavillion, but Elvis had a fantastic time putting his paws up on the wall and watching the birds fly around.

Yup, stole another picture from my husband!

This week is going to be a busy one. Playing a concert, extra library hours, hosting a party to watch the Perseids (keep your fingers crossed for clear skies this year!!), and another family reunion. Silly me, I thought my schedule would calm down once the wedding in Texas was over. ;-)

Texas Nuptials

I've been back from Texas since Sunday, but I am just now getting back into the swing of things. Despite there only being a 1-hour difference between Texas and NJ, I somehow wound up horribly jet-lagged. I found myself unable to fall asleep at night, then I'd go through my work day feeling sleep-deprived, and I'd pass out on the couch for an hour or two after dinner, which just perpetuated the whole can't-fall-asleep-at-night pattern.

On the bright side, I do have a few photos to share!

Here's a picture of me all dolled up and ready to watch my college roommate get hitched:


Needless to say, I had some (ok, a lot of) assistance putting on the sari, because I had NO CLUE what I was doing. ;-)

Here I am with the lovely bride and maid of honor, who was also one of my college roommates:


Glen was kind enough to join me on the trip even though he wasn't a fan of going to Texas at all, much less in the middle of the summer. I bribed him with a new seersucker suit:


He looked so handsome in his new suit that I couldn't resist stealing a kiss. ;-)

I don't think there are any pictures of the back of my head, but for what it's worth, I did go with style # 3 from my previous post, except with a side-swept bang instead of pulling everything straight back.

I have very little to do this weekend for a change, so I'm planning on catching up on gardening (so many weeds, ugh!!), finally getting fish for my pond, and finding craft shows to sign up for this fall. This summer has been so crazy, my poor jewelry business has been sorely neglected. :-\ But I am determined to turn that trend around, starting tomorrow!

Pick My Hairstyle!

One of my best friends is getting married next week - yay!!!

And I'm in the bridal party! I get to wear this:


Gorgeous, right??

But the only guidance we have for our hair is that it has to be an updo of some sort. Right now my hair is on the shortish side (by my standards, at least - it's just below my shoulders). And it's got some layers in it, so anything that requires all hair to reach the nape of my neck is out.

I browsed around on The Knot and managed to narrow it down to 3 hairstyles that I think (hope!) my hais is long enough/thick enough to handle. Here they are:

Style #1:

Style #2:

Style #3

Which one do you think I should choose??

All That Jazz

First of all, let me apologize for the lack of garden photos this past Friday. I was just too darn busy to get them posted. I'll have them up this Friday, I promise. ;-)

This weekend was incredibly busy, but also lots of fun. The highlight of the weekend was attending the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island. Getting there was quite the adventure - we drove about an hour to Jersey City, took the PATH to World Trade Center, walked about a mile to the Battery Maritime Building, and took the ferry to Governors Island. It was about a 2 1/2 hour trek.


And naturally, when we passed an old abandoned library on Governors Island, I had to take a picture.

I still can't decide whether it was cool or just sad!

Here we are, all dressed up:


We packed a picnic lunch:

While we were hauling that thing from World Trade Center down to the ferry, buying lunch started to sound like a good idea. Then we found out that the line for food was 1 hour + long. Packing a picnic lunch? Best. idea. ever.

There were a bunch of cool old cars along the side of the park:


And live music and a dance floor:


It was a pretty amazing way to spend such a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. :-)