"Anything that can go wrong, will." - Murphy's Law, NLV
Who knew that Murphy's law would apply to sewing? I am supposed to attend a baby shower on Saturday and I got the brilliant idea to make some homemade gifts. Keep in mind that I have had my sewing machine since September, and have only used it for one project. I had to watch the instructional DVD to use it that time. This time, I decided I would just dig out the manual. Things I learned the last few days:
1. I can't sew a straight seam to save my life;
2. How to rethread the needle after it hits a pin and comes unthreaded, causing me to have to start the crooked seam over;
3. How to disassemble my sewing macine and reassemble it (I'm becoming a pro at this!);
4. How to waste half a spool of thread just getting started on a project (that's $1.25 down the drain, thank you very much);
5. How to hope to goodness that the baby won't notice the less than professional work. About the time I got on a roll, the bobbin ran out of thread. Another seam that had to be started over. And do you think I ripped the old ones out?? Think again! Just sew over them, baby!
Earlier this summer, I saw a seamstress position posted in the paper. I briefly considered applying, thinking, "How hard could it be to use a sewing machine?". I'm glad I didn't, because I would have been the laughing stock of that establishment.
Murphy, you were a wise old pessimist. Would you like to find a new hobby with me?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Lessons from a Day of Domesticity
1. If you holler "OW!" really loud while taking dinner out of the oven, your loving husband will come dashing into the kitchen, expressing much concern.
2. When pinning fabric, it is wise if you DON'T have your thumb right where the pin is going to come out.
3. Being domestic is messy business. There is fabric scattered around the living room, as well as the ironing board being set up from where I went on an ironing binge. Not to mention the mess that was already scattered around. Thank goodness I get to go to work tomorrow. Who knows what it would look like in here if I didn't?!
4. My sewing machine says "Simple" on the front of it. It lies.
5. How on earth did the women do it back in the day? For that matter, Mother, how did you do it??? Babies everywhere, and life must still go on. I'm really thankful I live in the modern day, and as of yet, have no babies.
2. When pinning fabric, it is wise if you DON'T have your thumb right where the pin is going to come out.
3. Being domestic is messy business. There is fabric scattered around the living room, as well as the ironing board being set up from where I went on an ironing binge. Not to mention the mess that was already scattered around. Thank goodness I get to go to work tomorrow. Who knows what it would look like in here if I didn't?!
4. My sewing machine says "Simple" on the front of it. It lies.
5. How on earth did the women do it back in the day? For that matter, Mother, how did you do it??? Babies everywhere, and life must still go on. I'm really thankful I live in the modern day, and as of yet, have no babies.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Grouponing
I have sisters who are coupon clipping queens. They save tons of money on their grocery bills. I don't get it. I've tried and can't save the money they do. So I have basically stopped trying. However, I LOVE Groupon. I get the emails for their deals for our area and they are frequently something that I can use.
Saturday, Cameron and I went to Franklin's Hoagies for lunch. It's a locally owned, hole-in-the-wall type restaurant that has been there since 1981. We have decided that we are not going to spend as much money, but I had already bought the Groupon, so lunch was already paid for. Talk about fantastic. The food and service were both great. I love discovering places to eat that are native to this area. And face it - even if you love to cook, there is just something about having someone else cook for you that is nice. Not having to do the dishes is nice too!
Saturday, Cameron and I went to Franklin's Hoagies for lunch. It's a locally owned, hole-in-the-wall type restaurant that has been there since 1981. We have decided that we are not going to spend as much money, but I had already bought the Groupon, so lunch was already paid for. Talk about fantastic. The food and service were both great. I love discovering places to eat that are native to this area. And face it - even if you love to cook, there is just something about having someone else cook for you that is nice. Not having to do the dishes is nice too!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Glory!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Frontier Airlines # 304
Spokane International (GEG) to Denver International (DEN)
Departure (GEG): March 9, 6:30 AM PST (morning)
Arrival (DEN): March 9, 9:47 AM MST (morning)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Frontier Airlines # 1185 Operated by: REPUBLIC AIRLINES - Please check in with the operating carrier
Denver International (DEN) to Oklahoma City Will Rogers World (OKC)
Departure (DEN): March 9, 10:45 AM MST (morning)
Arrival (OKC): March 9, 1:17 PM CST (afternoon)
Frontier Airlines # 304
Spokane International (GEG) to Denver International (DEN)
Departure (GEG): March 9, 6:30 AM PST (morning)
Arrival (DEN): March 9, 9:47 AM MST (morning)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Frontier Airlines # 1185 Operated by: REPUBLIC AIRLINES - Please check in with the operating carrier
Denver International (DEN) to Oklahoma City Will Rogers World (OKC)
Departure (DEN): March 9, 10:45 AM MST (morning)
Arrival (OKC): March 9, 1:17 PM CST (afternoon)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
I'm loved.
I know I'm loved.
1. Sunday, we got a phone call that the elderly gentleman we take to church sometimes wanted to go to church. We got the call at 9 am, and need to leave the house by 9:15 in order to pick him up and be to church on time. Needless to say, it didn't happen. This stressed me, because Cameron was supposed to teach Sunday School, so it was not a good morning to be late. I swiftly prayed on the way out the door that the traffic would be lighter than usual. It was. At the first red light, I prayed that the rest of the lights would be green. I can't think of a single light that we had to stop for. We made it to church on time. I'm loved.
2. My husband recognized the rough day I had yesterday by bringing me home a beautiful hyacinth. I'm loved.
3. I have friends and family who often leave me messages to show that they haven't forgotten me. I'm loved.
1. Sunday, we got a phone call that the elderly gentleman we take to church sometimes wanted to go to church. We got the call at 9 am, and need to leave the house by 9:15 in order to pick him up and be to church on time. Needless to say, it didn't happen. This stressed me, because Cameron was supposed to teach Sunday School, so it was not a good morning to be late. I swiftly prayed on the way out the door that the traffic would be lighter than usual. It was. At the first red light, I prayed that the rest of the lights would be green. I can't think of a single light that we had to stop for. We made it to church on time. I'm loved.
2. My husband recognized the rough day I had yesterday by bringing me home a beautiful hyacinth. I'm loved.
3. I have friends and family who often leave me messages to show that they haven't forgotten me. I'm loved.
Friday, January 14, 2011
A Picture
I'm not an artist. I can't even draw proportional stick figures. I have a picture in my head, though, and I want to show it to you.
In this picture, it's Crucifixion Day. On Earth, Christ hangs on the cross, suffering the greatest agony known to man. All is dark. The mob around Jesus has ugly, taunting faces, while His mother looks on in horror. His blood runs down the cross from where the nail has pierced His feet. His head is bowed as He resists the desire to call to Heaven for help.
Up in Heaven, Gabriel has sounded the call to gather ten thousand of his best soldiers. The army of angels waits for the Son of God to make the slightest of signs to bring them to His rescue. They are poised to rush to Earth and end this travesty. God places His hand on Gabriel's shoulder, restraining him from acting contrary to God's will, and covers His face with His other hand to hide His grief. The sacrifice of His son is almost too great a cost, but He holds on, knowing it is the only way.
Sometimes I try to imagine what was sacrificed so that I might walk with God. I can't wrap my mind around it. The little bit that I can see causes an overwhelming awe to spring up in me, as well as a sense of responsibility. Christ went to the cross once for me. I don't want to ever cause Him suffering again.
In this picture, it's Crucifixion Day. On Earth, Christ hangs on the cross, suffering the greatest agony known to man. All is dark. The mob around Jesus has ugly, taunting faces, while His mother looks on in horror. His blood runs down the cross from where the nail has pierced His feet. His head is bowed as He resists the desire to call to Heaven for help.
Up in Heaven, Gabriel has sounded the call to gather ten thousand of his best soldiers. The army of angels waits for the Son of God to make the slightest of signs to bring them to His rescue. They are poised to rush to Earth and end this travesty. God places His hand on Gabriel's shoulder, restraining him from acting contrary to God's will, and covers His face with His other hand to hide His grief. The sacrifice of His son is almost too great a cost, but He holds on, knowing it is the only way.
Sometimes I try to imagine what was sacrificed so that I might walk with God. I can't wrap my mind around it. The little bit that I can see causes an overwhelming awe to spring up in me, as well as a sense of responsibility. Christ went to the cross once for me. I don't want to ever cause Him suffering again.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
3 Things
1. I have used at least half a roll of toilet paper today. And that was just on my nose.
2. In north Idaho, if you live in a wealthy area (say near the lake), you can commandeer a street for sledding. I saw it. I just wish I would have had the camera with me so you could see it too.
3. I went to the funeral of Cameron's great grandfather today. He had gotten married when he was 96 or 97 years old. Definitely not something you hear about every day. It was a very different experience attending the funeral of someone you don't know, among people you don't know. Definitely an outside-looking-in moment.
2. In north Idaho, if you live in a wealthy area (say near the lake), you can commandeer a street for sledding. I saw it. I just wish I would have had the camera with me so you could see it too.
3. I went to the funeral of Cameron's great grandfather today. He had gotten married when he was 96 or 97 years old. Definitely not something you hear about every day. It was a very different experience attending the funeral of someone you don't know, among people you don't know. Definitely an outside-looking-in moment.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
My Dear Friend
I got a text message last night. It came from my brother at my church in Oklahoma. "Your dear friend is here." I laughed. And promptly decided that I needed to share this story with you all.
You see, my senior year we had Yearbook Signing Day a couple of weeks before the last day of school. A bunch of my friends and I gathered on a sidewalk outside the Two-Story Building (while that should probably be lowercase, there are words that end up with capital letters in my mind) and sat and just signed each others yearbooks. If someone wanted to come to us to have us sign theirs, we would deign to sign it, but there was no way that we were getting up and walking around. We were too cool for that.
Toward the end of the afternoon, a young man wandered into our group and started talking to Teresa. I'm really not good about making small talk with strangers, so I ignored him. Pretty soon, Teresa decided that she was going to go home. I stayed where I was, surrounded by people, so that this young man couldn't get to me. After a few minutes, I forgot about him, and moved across the circle to have one of my friends sign my yearbook. Big mistake. This exposed me to passing strangers and pretty soon he had come up and wanted to sign my yearbook. Please note that I had never met this young man before that day (I attended a large high school) and didn't really want him signing my yearbook. I couldn't say no (still can't!) though and so he signed it. Then he asked for my phone number. I still couldn't say no, so he ended up with my phone number while I made an excuse for leaving. Teresa, if you are reading my blog, I still blame you for all of this!
Before I tell you the rest of the story, I want to explain what I was like as an 18 year old. I was dramatic, flighty, and somewhat self-centered. I'm trying to do better. I've had 6 years to practice since then, so hopefully I'm not as bad.
At school the next week, I was walking to my 2nd hour, and discovered that this young man had a class right across the hall from mine. I quickly ducked into my classroom, but he still saw me and waved really big. Great. I stewed the entire period about how I was going to get away. There were two doors to the classroom, so I picked the one furthest away from his doorway and took off the opposite direction. Probably not the nicest thing to do, but I was trying to avoid awkwardness.
I don't recall seeing him again until the very last day of school. My friends and I were heading to the parking lot at the end of the day, and he found me. He told me that he had lost my phone number and wanted to know if he could have it again. I told him no (I grew a backbone in a very short amount of time) and thought that was the end of it. It wasn't.
I spent the summer in ignorance. He spent the summer calling my Grandma's phone (she was the first Chancellor in the phone book and happened to be out of town most of the summer). When my Grandma got home, he called again. She gave him my phone number. I received a phone call on a Wednesday night. Talk about awkward. I'm not good at talking to people on the phone. Really. I'm a talker if I know you and so you are all feeling skeptical at the moment. Just believe me, ok? I told him I had to get off of the phone to go to church, and he asked to come with me. He couldn't drive, so I had to go pick him up. He's a sweet kid, but I took siblings along to protect myself.
At church that night, he kept scooting down the bench, closer and closer. I kept inching away, and by the end of service, he was practically sitting on me, and I was close to sitting on the girl beside me. I had the irresistible urge to giggle all service, imagining what the backs of our heads looked like to the people sitting behind us. This young man got up and told the church why he was attending our service with his "dear friend". *Insert very red face here* From then on, he has been known to my family as my dear friend. That I only talked to a handful of times. But we are close. Definitely.
I finally got him home and breathed a sigh of relief. I ran into him a couple more times at Wal-Mart (where he worked) and finally he got up the nerve to ask if I had a boyfriend. I told him yes, and promptly stopped shopping at that store. I couldn't handle the awkward meetings.
Good story, huh? Hopefully one day I'll figure out how to handle awkward situations. Until then, you can find me running the other direction.
You see, my senior year we had Yearbook Signing Day a couple of weeks before the last day of school. A bunch of my friends and I gathered on a sidewalk outside the Two-Story Building (while that should probably be lowercase, there are words that end up with capital letters in my mind) and sat and just signed each others yearbooks. If someone wanted to come to us to have us sign theirs, we would deign to sign it, but there was no way that we were getting up and walking around. We were too cool for that.
Toward the end of the afternoon, a young man wandered into our group and started talking to Teresa. I'm really not good about making small talk with strangers, so I ignored him. Pretty soon, Teresa decided that she was going to go home. I stayed where I was, surrounded by people, so that this young man couldn't get to me. After a few minutes, I forgot about him, and moved across the circle to have one of my friends sign my yearbook. Big mistake. This exposed me to passing strangers and pretty soon he had come up and wanted to sign my yearbook. Please note that I had never met this young man before that day (I attended a large high school) and didn't really want him signing my yearbook. I couldn't say no (still can't!) though and so he signed it. Then he asked for my phone number. I still couldn't say no, so he ended up with my phone number while I made an excuse for leaving. Teresa, if you are reading my blog, I still blame you for all of this!
Before I tell you the rest of the story, I want to explain what I was like as an 18 year old. I was dramatic, flighty, and somewhat self-centered. I'm trying to do better. I've had 6 years to practice since then, so hopefully I'm not as bad.
At school the next week, I was walking to my 2nd hour, and discovered that this young man had a class right across the hall from mine. I quickly ducked into my classroom, but he still saw me and waved really big. Great. I stewed the entire period about how I was going to get away. There were two doors to the classroom, so I picked the one furthest away from his doorway and took off the opposite direction. Probably not the nicest thing to do, but I was trying to avoid awkwardness.
I don't recall seeing him again until the very last day of school. My friends and I were heading to the parking lot at the end of the day, and he found me. He told me that he had lost my phone number and wanted to know if he could have it again. I told him no (I grew a backbone in a very short amount of time) and thought that was the end of it. It wasn't.
I spent the summer in ignorance. He spent the summer calling my Grandma's phone (she was the first Chancellor in the phone book and happened to be out of town most of the summer). When my Grandma got home, he called again. She gave him my phone number. I received a phone call on a Wednesday night. Talk about awkward. I'm not good at talking to people on the phone. Really. I'm a talker if I know you and so you are all feeling skeptical at the moment. Just believe me, ok? I told him I had to get off of the phone to go to church, and he asked to come with me. He couldn't drive, so I had to go pick him up. He's a sweet kid, but I took siblings along to protect myself.
At church that night, he kept scooting down the bench, closer and closer. I kept inching away, and by the end of service, he was practically sitting on me, and I was close to sitting on the girl beside me. I had the irresistible urge to giggle all service, imagining what the backs of our heads looked like to the people sitting behind us. This young man got up and told the church why he was attending our service with his "dear friend". *Insert very red face here* From then on, he has been known to my family as my dear friend. That I only talked to a handful of times. But we are close. Definitely.
I finally got him home and breathed a sigh of relief. I ran into him a couple more times at Wal-Mart (where he worked) and finally he got up the nerve to ask if I had a boyfriend. I told him yes, and promptly stopped shopping at that store. I couldn't handle the awkward meetings.
Good story, huh? Hopefully one day I'll figure out how to handle awkward situations. Until then, you can find me running the other direction.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Ramblings
I don't know about other bloggers, but there are times when I simply can't think of anything to say. I've been having that problem the last couple of days, but I decided to put something up here anyway.
Yesterday, I made a recipe from the Pioneer Woman Cooks. It is called Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp, and it was FANTASTIC. So full of butter, so not good for you, but so so yummy. If you like Shrimp, I would definitely recommend this.
On another note: I was introduced to Swag Bucks a while back, and didn't pay much attention for a while. I kept hearing them mentioned by various money saving websites and decided to check back in. I'm hooked. You may not know about my competitive streak. It usually comes out when I am driving and passing people just for the sake of going faster than them. Swag Bucks brings it out too. I end up wasting too much time trying to earn SB so that I can get free stuff. The main problem is, it's somewhat like credit card rewards in that you have to have a TON of SB to get much of anything. But I keep trying because one of these days, I'm going to win something. I think I need therapy.
Yesterday, I made a recipe from the Pioneer Woman Cooks. It is called Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp, and it was FANTASTIC. So full of butter, so not good for you, but so so yummy. If you like Shrimp, I would definitely recommend this.
On another note: I was introduced to Swag Bucks a while back, and didn't pay much attention for a while. I kept hearing them mentioned by various money saving websites and decided to check back in. I'm hooked. You may not know about my competitive streak. It usually comes out when I am driving and passing people just for the sake of going faster than them. Swag Bucks brings it out too. I end up wasting too much time trying to earn SB so that I can get free stuff. The main problem is, it's somewhat like credit card rewards in that you have to have a TON of SB to get much of anything. But I keep trying because one of these days, I'm going to win something. I think I need therapy.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Year!
A New Year Resolution, Linnie Style:
1. Resolve that you have gained as much of the "Newlywed 25" that you intend to gain, and that you are going to be more calorie conscious and lose some weight in 2011.
2. January 1st: Go out to breakfast with your husband. Order a breakfast that includes a biscuit and gravy, Denver scrambled eggs, and fried potatoes. Don't forget to split a Southern Pecan Roll with your husband. Take a walk in the cold so that you feel like you did something about that breakfast you ate.
3. January 2nd: Eat leftovers from breakfast the day before. The calories don't count the second day. Eat pizza for lunch since it is your brother-in-law's birthday. Feel virtuous while you eat the chocolate cake and ice cream because you only ate one moderately sized slice of pizza. Forget about the apple slices and caramel sauce. Eat Taco Bell for dinner because you are ravenous by the time church gets out. Your husband will remind you that calories don't count on the holidays. Broaden the definition of holiday to include all birthdays of friends and relatives, even if they are distant or deceased.
3. January 3rd: Celebrate how well you are doing with your resolution by eating a few bites of the Pecan roll that is calling to you from the take-out box on the table. Exercise for 10 minutes and vacuum the floor. Pat self on the back for the strenuous work out.
I think it's going to be a good year, folks!
1. Resolve that you have gained as much of the "Newlywed 25" that you intend to gain, and that you are going to be more calorie conscious and lose some weight in 2011.
2. January 1st: Go out to breakfast with your husband. Order a breakfast that includes a biscuit and gravy, Denver scrambled eggs, and fried potatoes. Don't forget to split a Southern Pecan Roll with your husband. Take a walk in the cold so that you feel like you did something about that breakfast you ate.
3. January 2nd: Eat leftovers from breakfast the day before. The calories don't count the second day. Eat pizza for lunch since it is your brother-in-law's birthday. Feel virtuous while you eat the chocolate cake and ice cream because you only ate one moderately sized slice of pizza. Forget about the apple slices and caramel sauce. Eat Taco Bell for dinner because you are ravenous by the time church gets out. Your husband will remind you that calories don't count on the holidays. Broaden the definition of holiday to include all birthdays of friends and relatives, even if they are distant or deceased.
3. January 3rd: Celebrate how well you are doing with your resolution by eating a few bites of the Pecan roll that is calling to you from the take-out box on the table. Exercise for 10 minutes and vacuum the floor. Pat self on the back for the strenuous work out.
I think it's going to be a good year, folks!
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