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nanny cams
2008-04-02 06:23:00
I think if we ever do get a babysitter - we’re definitely going to get a nanny cam. So beware, all you would-be William watchers! This site as the coolest hidden spy camera stuff. Some of it is a little James Bond for me - like the bug finder…but some of it is awesome. A camera hidden in a non-working air freshener? A backpack, several different teddy bear models…so cool. I also really like the digital audio recorder. All I have to say is that babysitters who think the parents aren’t watching are DUMB. Turn on a TV, sometime!
More About: Nanny

baby blanket
2008-03-29 19:39:00
Here’s a baby blanket I made for my step-bother’s new baby coming in June. I used minkie red on the back and a cute baby print fleece on the front. Then I appliqued red and white minkie and blue fleece circles for decoration. The pattern is from Bend the Rules Sewing, which I love. Minkie is a little unruly for scallops - it came out a little messier than I hoped, but I still like it.
More About: Baby , Blanket

I’ve been hexed
2008-03-29 19:27:00
So I’m still plugging away with my hexagons. I posted earlier about the girl that didn’t use paper-piecing - just pieced the hexes together. Well, I tried it, and I have to agree…it’s better. I started with some test fabric…tracing the template onto the back of my hex, pinning the corners, and hand piecing. Then I whip stitched a couple of my paper piece hexes. The end result is that the paper pieced ones look terrible. The stitching is awkward and REALLY shows. I think it has to do with the angle of stitches. Without the paper, I’m hand-piecing in line with the seam line. With the paper in there, I’m stitching perpendicular to the seam line. Make sense? Here are some visual aids… The main problem I found with the no-paper system is that now I have to plan out my design before I sew. So, I’ve started making flowers. Here’s my first one… I have no doubt that using the papers is more precise, but it’s als...

Mad about Mad Men and other shows
2008-03-29 19:11:00
I’ve been watching Mad Men on iTunes…let me just say, AWESOME! I love the characterization, I love the drama…I REALLY love the glimpse at how far the womens’ liberation movement has really brought us! This show is perfect for Hillary’s campaign. The last episode I saw is the one where the account guys are at a loss with how to sell lipstick, so they say, “I’m not a moron, let’s get a moron’s point of view. Let’s give it to the chickens.” Where they proceed to shuffle all the women into a focus group room and let them try on all the shades while they gawk and make rude comments. It was a little disgusting to watch, but I couldn’t turn away. And the women were just as sad as the men. When they used the word brainstorm, one girl says, “Oh no, that sounds hard. Is it like a test?” But of course, Peggy doesn’t play their game. I can’t wait to see what happens with Peggy. We’ve also bee...

more business ideas
2008-03-23 23:53:00
There’s a big empty lot near our house. It’s like a house lot with no house - just grass. Each Saturday, it fills with people selling stuff. Old furniture, puppies, even tacos. My husband and I always drive by and say we should buy the lot and put up stands and charge people lot fees and have ourselves a real flea market. Capitalism, right? My brother-in-law says he’ll run a sandwich stand. Wouldn’t it be cool? Seems like a simple enough proposition. Even better if instead of buying an inflated lot, we could rent it for 6 months and see what kind of profit we could really make. There’s cool places like ARF that would finance something like this. Well, maybe they’d only pay for the sandwich stand with restaurant loans. But still - it’s a start. One day, right?
More About: Ideas , Business , Business Ideas

business ideas
2008-03-23 23:30:00
I went in this fun little paper store…it seemed like a marvel that they could stay in business and pay their lease just by selling stationary. But I got on their email list, and they’re always doing fun things like present wrapping-parties, classes on making party invitations - basically buying their blank stationary, and then using different computer programs to lay them out. Or you can just buy the paper and they’ll lay out your invites/announcements/whatever. They also order the fancy stuff from professional printers, but they offer much more affordable alternatives. I think it’s cool. I love their blank cards. Still, I don’t envy her office space lease.
More About: Ideas , Business , Business Ideas

bourne ultimatum
2008-03-23 23:12:00
We’re watching the Bourne Ultimatum right now. Talk about action packed…so that’s what waterboarding looks like! Pretty frightning - watching a secret arm of the government track phone calls, people movements second by second, order hits with no judge, jury, trial. What’s the point of even having a debate about the death penalty in this country? I have no doubt that the technology, the lack of red tape, etc. is all totally possible. You have to wonder, where is the Constitution in all of this? It’s like these “trials” going on with the 9-11 planners. Mukasey pushes for the death penalty, and then gives a speech saying he “almost hopes they don’t get it, because all they want is to be martyrs.” Well, how can you sentence someone to death based on testimony received through tactics like waterboarding? What does my country stand for? Can we ever be a beacon of justice and hope again? I hope Barack is right…”yes w...

gerber life insurance
2008-03-23 22:57:00
I always get these offers for Gerber Life Insurance for my kid. It’s like cord blood banking - it’s one of those things that I’m almost scared into buying, like a chain letter or war with Iraq. It’s like whole life insurance or long term care insurance. Do I need it today? Will I regret not buying it? If I only get term, am I missing out on an investment opportunity? Is insurance through a job enough? Who can answer these difficult questions?
More About: Life Insurance

mpg
2008-03-20 05:54:00
I recently saw something on Zaproot.com talking about how ethanol really isn’t much better environmentally. My brother in law just bought a new Ford F750 or something - just kidding, it’s a F150, but it’s huge and ridiculous. But the sad truth is that it’s awesome. My dad has a Toyota Tundra and it’s also awesome. He’s always looking at truck parts on ebay - like a billy bar and a brush guard - or something like that. My husband wants a bigger car. If we have another kid, we’ll need a bigger car. We looked at Hybird Altimas but really, their gas mileage isn’t any better than our current electric lime saturn ion, but with a MUCH higher payment! My step-mom drives a Honda Civic and gets 38 mpg! The hybrid civic only gets something like 46 mpg. The moral of this story is that there really aren’t any viable options for people that NEED bigger vehicles, but don’t want to do more harm to the earth. There aren’t really any ...

Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains…
2008-03-20 05:44:00
That’s right, I’ve been in Oklahoma. I took my little baby and we flew out to see Gramie and Papa. I know I’ve been absent for a little while, but I wasn’t in drug rehabilitation or detox or something. No, I was visiting my parents - and it was great! All except for the day we left. All our flights were cancelled, so we got rebooked on another airline leaving 7 hours later, only to have our second leg delayed 4 hours. We got lucky and caught an earlier flight, but it came into a different airport, so I still had to drive to the first airport and pick up my luggage at 1:30 am. LONG day, hauling around a 2 year old and all his accoutrements. Lucky for me he’s such a good boy. Anyway, we had a great time with my parents and that’s what matters. I got to meet my new future step-sister in-law, William got to spend lots of time with Gramie Sandy and Papa Bob, get his face licked off by their little dog Chica, and I even got to go to a fabric store where...
More About: Wind , Plains

European Vacation
2008-03-10 23:39:00
Back in 2001, my husband and I went to visit his mom in Paris, and his brother in Germany. It was my first trip to Europe, and I loved it. We went at Christmas, so it was cold and gloomy, but still gorgeous. I took TONS of pictures - and in my normal style, most of them were terrible. I was using a 35 mm camera, so I didn’t have the luxury of making sure each shot was good, or wasting a million pictures like I do on my digital camera. Anyway, I used a couple rolls of b&w film, and there were a few gems in the mix. I used photoshop to make them sepia. They’re not going to win any awards, but they look great on my bathroom wall! Anyway, I recently scanned them in because someone needed them for a project, and I thought I’d share them here.
More About: European , Vacation

Moxy needs a facelift
2008-03-07 18:10:00
I’ve been thinking for a while that I need to redesign my blog. I’d like for it to mirror the new design of my etsy store, which also needs to be done. Basically, I’d like to create a cohesive campaign for both, incorporating my personal aesthetic. There’s the rub. What the heck is my personal aesthetic? Well, there are some sites that I could use to make it easier…since I’m looking for a starting point, I thought I’d use logoyes - a site offering logo design with tons of choices of images, colors, fonts, etc. I made the logo above using their cool “bold” symbols, and then I made this business card - literally in two clicks. There were lots of excellent templates for the business cards - I chose this one because I thought that little mound at the bottom went well with the tree image. One small problem is that I’m not starting a landscaping company, so I may need to rethink the color and image, but I still like it. Basical...
More About: Facelift

Officially filed under “WTF!?!”
2008-03-07 07:01:00
What is really going on here? Thank goodness for Jenny McCarthy and all the other parents who are keeping Autism under a spotlight. My email from WebMD: March 6, 2008 Girl’s Autism Symptoms Linked to Vaccines Federal health officials have conceded that several vaccines contributed to autism-like symptoms in a 9-year-old girl, Hannah Poling. For years, there’s been debate among parents, researchers, and the government over whether a mercury-based preservative in vaccines, thimerosal, causes autism. Read the full story. The WebMD Coverage Plan This is breaking news, and the WebMD team is working to deliver you the best information. Find the very latest updates in the WebMD NewsWatch, updated continuously by our editorial staff.  Visit the WebMD Home Page on Friday for an in-depth interview with Jon Poling, the father of Hannah Poling. The Background You Need We are the most trusted health site on the Internet. Here are our must-read articles, reference materials, and new...

more hexes
2008-03-05 03:32:00
Look at this great post - she’s making hexagons, but she cut out the paper-piecing step! Sounds good, actually. I like the idea of half the work!

some good books
2008-03-05 03:08:00
I have been absent far too long. I’ve been a little worn out with the internet and it’s fathomless black hole tendencies on my time. So I’ve been steering clear. But I had to share the latest book I just finished: The Inn at Lake Divine by Elinor Lipman, my new favorite author. There’s a good synopsis on her website, so I’ll spare you that, and just say that I laughed out loud and I shed a few tears. I loved the heroine’s voice, wit and irony. I loved the hero (even if he doesn’t show up until half way through the book, maybe because of it), I loved the premise, and I especially loved the first chapter. Basically, I loved the whole thing. Lipman wrote a funny essay about the book here. I also just read Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Cruisie and Warrior for One Night by Nancy Gideon. Both were great and quickly read, but not touching and real the way Lipman’s book was. I think all this reading is another reason I haven’t been blogging. ...
More About: Books , Good

new crafts…
2008-02-27 04:53:00
Here are my latest creations and almost creations. I made this cool hook roll using a bunch of Denyse Schmidt fabrics and my special pink Japanese bunny and squirrel fabric. I think it came out great. The pattern is from Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts, and although it looked pretty intimidating with all of those strips, it was very fast and easy. Plus, I loved using all those fabrics at once. I am really bad about collecting fabric and then not using it because I hate to cut it, and I hate the idea of not having it anymore. Isn’t that silly? What good is a fat quarter sitting in a box? Isn’t it much better cut into pieces and sewn into something cool? I can see the rationalilty of this right now, but when it comes to my next project, I’m sure I’ll have trouble selecting the fabric I’m willing to cut. I’m also slowly working my way through a million hexagons. I don’t know how many I’ll make, but I cut about 400 squares from fiv...
More About: Crafts

golf, anyone?
2008-02-25 16:30:00
My husband wants to go back to Pinehurst. I think we’ve already been to Pinehurst, why not go to a different golf resort. There are about a million of them, right? We could get a Hilton Head rental, or we could stay on the west coast and save on airfare. My point is really that if he’s never played a course, isn’t it just as much of an adventure as going back to Pinehurst? His point is that the deal we got at Pinehurst was a little amazing, and we could do that deal again. Really, I think we shouldn’t all go to a golf resort, since it’s boring for me and the baby. I think he should go on his own to Torrey Pines or something and get some instruction - make it like a learning trip. Then all the cost will have some worthwhile results.
More About: Golf

taxes…
2008-02-25 16:21:00
I did all of our taxes on Turbo Tax again this year. I used Home and Business, and it made filing our household and my sole proprietorship taxes really easy. I swear, everything you need to be a small-business owner is right at your fingertips. You can buy software to help you do everything; accounting, HR paperwork like ratings and talent management, and setting up a website has never been easier. I am grateful to modern technology. Now if I could just show a profit! As for Turbo Tax, my bank didn’t offer a discount this year, but my credit union did. Make sure to check around all your financial institutions if you want a discount. Usually, in order to get the discount, you have to follow the link from your bank. You can’t just go directly to Turbo Tax. This year, I bought the software at Costco because online, the Home and Business didn’t include state filing, but the software does.
More About: Taxes

ipod cover
2008-02-22 02:11:00
I made this goofy iPod cover…I’m not so great at planning out all the things that have to be sewn into pieces before they’re sewn. For example, I did not sew on any kind of closure, so the finished thing doesn’t close. You might be thinking, “why not sew on a closure now?” Well, the answer is that I could, but not the closure I wanted. I wanted to use these cute little pearl snaps. They must be applied to the fabric before the fabric is all sewn up and you have no access to the back. Make sense? So anyway, the thing hold my iPod, but it’s flimsy, and I prefer the store-bought case with the clip so it stays in my pocket. Anyway, here’s what worked: The think clear vinyl made a cool pocket, and my paper circle punch (1 in. diameter) cut a great circle for accessing the buttons. The minkie makes a nice inside for my precious nano. The basic design was pretty successful, although I think a little smaller would be better. Here’s wh...
More About: Ipod , Cover

Welcome back, writers!
2008-02-21 23:53:00
I’m am extremely happy that the writers have returned and my TV mania can continue with renewed vigor. Here’s a cool link to a recap slide show and the dates that some shows will be returning to prime time.
More About: Writers , Back

Free downloads!
2008-02-21 21:35:00
I’ve added a Free Downloads page (in the top navigation banner)! Here’s why. In this month’s Quilt magazine, there’s a super cute pattern for a grandma’s garden wall hanging using English paper-piecing. You need 37 hexagons for the pattern, and I was feeling intimidated by the instructions - which include tracing with a ruler and a pencil. So I opened up Illustrator and created my own template sheet. So anyone that needs some hexagons can print them out. I cut two sheets of 3/4 in. hexagons out while watching Dora with my son. Pretty fast! Now I just need to go pick out my fat eighths to make that cute wall hanging. There are tons of free patterns online for Grandma’s Garden-type patterns. I’m planning on adding more templates now that I know how. If you have a specific size request, let me know. They’re really easy to make. Also, if you use the template, I’d love it if you’d link back to me so I can see your work! If you&...

renewal
2008-02-19 21:18:00
My webhost just came up for renewal. I’m sticking with AN Hosting - no big problems, and I think the prices are reasonable. I did check out web hosting choice first to see my options, and they have lots of good info. But ultimately, I’m happy where I am. If you’re just starting out, I recommend figuring out how much bandwidth and storage you need, whether you’re going to need a special language (like PHP, MySQL, PERL, etc.), email addresses, etc. you’re going to need. Then you can go through a site like web hosting choice and compare the ones that meet your requirements.
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beautiful quilt story
2008-02-19 17:24:00
My husband and I receive the Christian Science Monitor at home. I find it to be an excellent news source for both national and international news. But more than that, there is always a funny or heart-warming or otherwise endearing story near the end of the issue. Recently, my husband tore out a page and left it for me - it was this story about quilts by Joan Donaldson. I love it, and I know all you quilters out there will love it too. There was also this funny one by Joe Lavin about being a failure on Facebook - to which I can wholeheartedly relate.
More About: Story , Beautiful , Quilt

dancing with the stars
2008-02-19 09:31:00
Did anyone else see the lineup for the new Dancing With the Stars season? I’m not a huge fan of that show, but this season looks pretty good…Christy Yamaguchi, Monica Seles, Marly Matland…I don’t know how to spell these peoples’ names, but I want to see them dance! Penn from Penn and Teller? He’s a big goofy guy. I can’t wait to see him. And Steve Gutenberg and Adam Corolla? And the girl from Hairspray? Excellent. No anti-aging pills for these people - everyone looks great - even Priscilla Presley, although her collagen lips are a little weird. Anyway, I am actually looking forward to this one. As for the Bruno and Carrie Ann battle, it wasn’t all that exciting. That Kelsey is a super-awesome dancer, though. I wish I had her legs!
More About: Dancing with the Stars

sew what?
2008-02-19 09:19:00
I made a new bag. I like it. I made up the pattern. It was pretty simple - your standard sew everything backwards and flip it all out through a little hole. The problem is that that flap is backwards. I took it apart and sewed it back together twice, and still, the flap is backwards. On the other side, there’s a perfectly good, now upside-down pocket. I’ve got a lot of ideas and not a lot of sewing time. I may need to try some energy pills or something. Or maybe I just need to get off the computer and go to sleep. Tomorrow, we’ve got a big day at the park! Then Wednesday is gymnastics - our third and final class. Let’s hope there are less tears this time.

black holes exist right here
2008-02-19 09:07:00
I am a consummate time waster. I haven’t blogged in days and days, but I’ve just spent hours and hours reading other blogs. My starting point of exploration was keeping up with the creative spaces featured over on Joyful Abode. I am honored to be listed among them. This took me many exciting places, but one thing is clear. My advertising-heavy blog is not representative of my creative spirit. More after the jump… (more…)
More About: Black , Holes , Exist

my little beers
2008-02-08 03:45:00
You may notice my little beer mugs…I’m saving up for a new laptop, and I’m hoping kind souls will ante up a buck to help me. Why? Who knows why. There’s really no reason. I’m sure everyone would love a new laptop, and can use their hard-earned dollars to buy one. But I feel like there’s no harm in asking. I’ve bought plenty of people beers or coffees by donating a couple bucks through paypal because I liked their blog/site. I remember this girl who paid off all her credit cards because she asked for donations online, and she got them. I’m going to go ahead and use some positive thinking…every little bit helps, right? So thanks in advance for your dollar, or not. But thanks anyway for stopping by. It would be cool if I could just send good thoughts via fiber optic cables and everyone would have all the money they need. My husband says, “why would anyone give you a dollar when there are so many people that need it more?&rdq...
More About: Beers

fabric junkie
2008-02-07 06:46:00
This weekend I’m driving my brother-in-law’s truck up to San Fran for him, and I plan to make a few quilt shop stops along the way. And while I’m a big fan of the small, local quilt shop, I’ve been branching out lately. I saw the most gorgeous quilts at Road 2 CA that were made of all these non-cotton, non-standard materials. Velvet binding. Chintz and raw silk piecing. The result was beautiful textures and colors. I’ve been looking for shops like designdivafabrics.com, that sell discount velvet upholstery fabric and other non-quilty items. The upholstery-weight stuff makes great bags…I’ve got one in the works. I want to make some new grocery bags that I can throw in the wash after I buy chicken. As I figure out what kind of quilter I want to be, I think it’s important to branch out of the local quilt shop.
More About: Fabric , Junkie

RWA Conference
2008-02-07 06:34:00
I’m a member of Romance Writers of America. You’d never know it from this blog, but I really do harbor the dream of writing a novel one day. I’m not your typical novelist, apparently, because I haven’t been writing stories since the womb, I don’t have stories bursting to come out of me, I don’t even have any particularly good ideas. I just want to write a novel. Is that enough? I guess we’ll see if I really write one. Anyway, I joined RWA a few years ago with the goal of attending the annual conference. I lived in TX at the time, and the conference was being held in Dallas. It changes location each year, so I thought this was kismet. So I register and pay my big money. Then I got a new job in CA. I had to request a refund, and I didn’t get to go. The following two years, the conference was very far away. This year it’s in San Fran! Kismet, again! (Wait…can that happen?) My husband doesn’t think it’s kismet at a...
More About: Conference

vacate, por favor
2008-02-07 06:19:00
Well, we just returned from a mini vacation, and yet, I feel unrested and ready for another one. Today was an interesting day in the world of parenting a 2 year old. Gymnastics started today - we were very excited, with my son saying, “nastics…cool!” all morning. So we go, and there are about eight other 2-3 year olds in the room, all with at least one parent. The teacher starts the music (itsy bitsy spider) for the warm-up. William and I go to sit on the mat in the circle, and he starts to wail. He squirms around and gets a death grip on my neck and won’t let any part of him touch that mat. And so, that is how we conducted our first gymnastics class…45 minutes of neck gripping and “let’s go door!” with him pointing fervently toward the exit. Next, because gymnastics was considerably more stressful than I had imagined, we headed to his favorite park. We played happily in the pristine (raked twice a day!) sand with the bucket, shovel ...
More About: Favor