Thank you, 8lbs 6oz Newborn Baby Jesus, in your golden, fleece diapers, Spring is finally here. Ok, so technically, Spring has been here for a while and also technically anyone north of Interstate 20 would probably say it’s been here for weeks. But they would be wrong, damn it. It’s not Spring until the azaleas and dogwood are in full bloom and it sure as hell isn’t Spring if it is snowing like it was weekend before last.

I swear that was the longest, freakiest, snowiest (!), coldest winter in memory, which granted, isn’t great, but I think we would remember it snowing in freaking March in Louisiana. Or any other month for that matter.

Ok enough about the weather, I’m not 30 yet.

Other than marveling at the weather, I have mostly just been doing some much needed Spring cleaning (I swear there is a black hole in our guest room that attracts random crap). All in preparation for eventually painting our bedroom finally:

The color is Mica from Martha Stewart’s Sherwin-Williams collection from a few years ago. Yes, I still have all my paint swatches. Yes, I have…issues. Any other questions?

The knitting/crocheting projects have begun to dwindle as it is warming up. Lately I have just been working on these:

Just plain old squares made from leftover sock yard scraps. I haven’t decided what exactly I am going to do with them yet, but I needed something to do with my hands while we watch tv and this was the cheapest thing I could come up with. Hey, at least I am not biting my fingernails.

Also, I have been trying to experiment with being more adventurous with post-processing my photos. I know people that actually know me will find it hard to believe, but I tend to get a bit tied up in details. This extends to touching up my photos also. I am too worried about losing a detail of a tree that the forest isn’t shown to it’s full potential, if that makes any sense. So I have been working on that lately. Not sure if I have exactly found my footing, or my perspective (pun!), just yet, but I figure I have to start somewhere.

Pretty sure the core has stopped spinning. And Hell has frozen over.

Since last posting:

a) We succeeded in getting our plumbing work completed. By the way, having people roaming about my house (inside and out) all day for 2 days, while simultaneously have no water so I can neither pee, wash my hands, nor clean anything and then writing a check equivalent to about 5 months worth of mortgage payments is pretty close to my own little personal hell. Do you know how many times a crazy person washes their hands in a day? A lot a lot.

b) Watched the Saints win the Super Bowl. We are not “football people”. Actually, strike that, we aren’t “sports people”. We might occasionally watch various sporting endeavors but we don’t really get emotionally invested in them the way a lot of people do. That being said, it was pretty cool that they won. The Saints going to the Super Bowl, much less winning it, is right up there with with central Louisiana getting half a foot of snow in a single day. Oh, wait.

c) It snowed! Like forrealzies. It snowed like it snows in places where it snows. And I got pictures:

More can be seen on my photostream.

The year of our Lord two thousand and ten is turning out to be, if you will excuse the profanity, a real motherfucker. And it’s only January. /headdesk

Oh where to start…well first, things started off by coming home from the holidays and finding our plumbing backing up, which resulted in the first plumber call of the year. Got that all squared away and soon thereafter came The Deep Freeze of ’010 which resulted in our pipes freezing*. When the pipes finally thawed enough to get flowing again, our water pressure was even more paltry that before. Apparently the freezing aggravated our already extraordinary rusty pipes problem, basically strangling all the hot water pressure in the house. So we now get to have basically all the pipes in our house replaced AND buy a new water heater. I was really hoping to get to spend four figures on plumbing right out of the gate this year. And it’s not even on something pretty. /pout

*Note for future reference: You have to leave the hot AND cold water dripping on the exposed side of the house.

And this week I had one of my semiannual allergy attacks. Nothing really all that major, no hives or tracheotomies. Just a little bit of trying to keep my head of exploding and refraining from drowning in my own excretions. I think it is mostly past now, just a bit of a cough left.

Enough of the whinging though, I have also been knitting and such:

Pattern (Ravelry links): Spring Beret and Rannoch fingerless gloves
Yarn: Vanna’s Choice in Taupe
Notes: Been a little while but I don’t remember having any trouble with either pattern (must keep better notes). About the Vanna’s Choice, it’s certainly not high-class stuff but for an acrylic that I can actually get in my one-three-legged-horse town, I liked it fine.

Pattern (Ravelry link): Waving Lace Socks from Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave
Yarn: Stroll Kettle Dyed Sock Yarn in Wine.
Notes: Enjoyed the pattern fine, a little boring to knit though. Pleasantly surprise by how nice the yarn was, haven’t gotten to see how well it wears but it knits up really nice.

(I know, that’s a horrible freaking picture, why do I try to take pictures on cloudy days??!)

Pattern: Didn’t really use a pattern persay, more info about where to find a pattern here.
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in every color they had at the time x2 with extra left over.
Notes: I am in love, I want to make another one. Yarn shed a bit during crocheting but doesn’t seem to continue to be a problem.

And on the “2010 might not end up being all bad” side: We saw Eddie OMFG Izzard is Dallas on the 21st. It was seriously one of the greatest things ever. If you haven’t seen his standup, go buy a dvd and watch it. You will love it. If you don’t, then…bugger off because I don’t want you reading my blog anymore.

Also! While in Dallas we did a quick flyby Ikea and I finally got my Jorun duvet cover and MYSA STRÅ comforter. I am now lobbying to make it legal for people and bedding to enter into polygamist marriages together.

I am sure there are millions things I am forgetting that I wanted to share, but it’s late so they will just have to wait. Ciao.

Why, hi there. Long time, no see. <insert apology and valid excuse for not blogging>

Now that that’s out of the way: It’s freaking freezing here. Ferrealzies. Not like normal Southern “Oh crap, eight whole hours below 32 degrees” kind of cold, we are talking about several consecutive days of cold and the forecast for this weekend being “We’re all gonna die!”.

Now anyone north of say…Interstate 20 is probably saying “What a bunch of greenhorns”, voice dripping with contempt. But, people, we are not used to cold. We say the same thing about you when you start dropping like the petals of a delicate flower when it gets above 95 degrees. How not-used-to-it are we? Until this year, I did not have what could strictly be called a “coat”. I have a couple jackets, a hoodie or two. The only hat we had in the house was The Husband’s baseball cap. Gloves? I think I have some rubber ones around here somewhere I use when I chop peppers.

All this to say that all I have been doing since Christmas is hibernating: knitting (but failing miserably at taking pictures of said knitting), listening to the sound of our retirement fund going up in smoke in the form of our heating bill this month, and spending entirely too much time on the interwebs. This results of which are that I am sick of several things around the house (pretty much everything but the living room wall color actually) and it is too cold and we are too poor to do anything about it. Which leads me to spending too much time self-flagellating on IKEA.com. (Oh IKEA, why do you refuse to build a store closer than 5 hours from here? And if you can’t be buggered to build closer, why can you not offer all of your goods on your website?) :sigh: Guess that’s what I get for continuing to reside in the nether regions of civilization.

So instead of doing laundry or anything actually constructive, here is my current WANTlist:

1. IKEA PS MASKROS pendant lamp

2. IDELIG Mixing bowl

3. NORDMYRA Dining Chair

4. IKEA 365+ BRASA Pendant lamp

5. FÄRGRIK TROLSK Bowl

6. SKRIN Box with lid

7. SENIOR Casserole with lid

8. FÄRM Vase

9. IKEA PS Cabinet

10. JORUN FORM Duvet cover and pillowcase(s)

11. UNNI Rug, flatwoven

12. JORUN Rug, flatwoven

So, yeah, I pretty much suck at this whole updating regularly thing. On the up side, it looks like Fall might actually be just around the corner, so I am sure that will help. It’s not exactly what I would call “crisp” yet, mostly just tepid and dreary, but at least it isn’t sweltering and Hell-esque.

I haven’t been totally sitting on my ass for the past couple months, my current big project is a granny hexagon afghan for us*.

While I am using patterns and inspiration from Attic24 and Moonstitches, with yarn selection and such I am kinda flying by the seat of my pant, but it looks like I might have to end up ordering more yarn. I kinda expected as much, but still kind of a bummer, if I have to wait for it to arrive AGAIN. Patience isn’t exactly one of my virtues. (More yarn and color info at Flickr).

All that aside, I am really enjoying working on it, playing with color combinations, watching it grow. Probably my favorite project in quite a while.

I also

• helped my Mom redesign her blog Not Quite June Cleaver.
• got my little sister drunk for her 21st birthday.
• am sure I did other things I can’t remember.
• oh yeah, like turn 29!

In closing, some photos from our spending Labor Day weekend with the inlaws:

More can be seen at my flickr stream.

*Ok so technically I guess I do sit on my ass to crochet. Busted.

1. Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog. Replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, and add one more question of your own.

2. Tag other people.

Now the questions:

What are you wearing today? A t-shirt and pajama pants. As sad as it is, this is my usual uniform.

What’s for dinner? Probably just some guacamole and chips. If I am feeling froggy I might grill some chicken. It’s July in Louisiana, too hot to cook anything too involved.

What would you eat for your last meal? This is a hard one for me (that’s what she said). I just like food so much, I feel like it is putting too much pressure on any food I would choose. Maaaybe…pork tenderloin, some of my dad’s fried venison backstrap, mashed potatoes, asparagus, cheesecake. Oh, something Asian, gyoza maybe. And since I am going to die anyway, a shiteton of shrimp, fried, boiled, grilled, stuffed. And something I have never had before, I like to try new things.

What relaxes you most? In general, just hanging out with The Husband is pretty relaxing. In a the-crazy-is-trying-to-get-out situation, taking a shower usually helps a lot.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would it be? Hrmm…maybe Hawaii. That probably sounds completely out of character, but not like the Elvis, touristy, cheesy Hawaii. I would love to see lava, take a surfing lesson (ya know, because I am so athletic), go to sleep listening to the ocean. Or Alaska, I am in a very newest states kinda mood.

What language do you want to learn? All of them. Unfortunately, the only one I speak is English and, being Southern, that one not all that well. I have picked up a very little bit of Spanish from my friend, mostly just swear words though. I learned some Latin when I was high school age, but don’t remember a single word.

What do you love most about where you currently live? I love the huge old oak tree in our front yard. I love that my family is relatively close. I like that it has stores that are open past 8 unlike in our hometown.

What style is your current home decorated in? I don’t think there is a style…eclectic maybe. I love clean, no fuss, mid-century modern. Still a lot of our furniture is hand-me-downs or this-is-the-best-we-are-gonna-do-at-this-price-range-in-this-podunk-town. It’s slowly but surely getting there though.

If you were a time traveler what era would you live in? I might like to visit other eras, but considering my dependence on such modern technology as electricity, climate control, modern dentistry and orthadonics, bathing, vision care, medicine, etc. I think it’s probably a good thing that I was born in the time that I was.

What is your favorite color? Depends what the color is for. It changes pretty regularly too. I have been trending towards light, bright colors and white lately though.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe? I don’t really have one. I am not really all that into clothes, as long as it is comfortable and clean, I am good.

What were you doing ten years ago? July of 1999, I was finishing up technical college, working part-time at the local grocery store in my hometown. Spending most of my free time with The Husband, then The Boyfriend.

What are you going to do after this? Probably eat some lunch, maybe watch some television, maybe go swimming later. Riveting stuff

What are your favorite films? I have a confession. I am a total sucker for fluffy movies. I appreciate movies, like The Godfather, Brazil, The Lord of the Rings, Pulp Fiction, etc, but my favorite kind of film to watch is the lighter fare. The Princess Bride, Pride and Prejudice, French Kiss.

What are your favorite books? I pretty much just love books in general. Again with the Pride and Prejudice (ugh so cliche), Jane Eyre, Hitchhiker’s Guide, love scifi and fantasy.

Do you collect anything? Souls. JKLOL. Not that I can think of. We have a lot of books, but I wouldn’t say we collect them.

What makes you follow a blog? Most of the blogs I follow are informational. Cooking, tech, crafting, etc. For personal blogs, as long as it is honest and I can relate to it.

What was the most enjoyable thing you did today? Well, it’s still relatively early on a Saturday afternoon, so drank my coffee and chatted with my siblings on facebook.

Ann’s Question: What makes you comment on a blog? If I feel I can add anything to the subject at hand. I feel I have some information that may be helpful. I can win something in a giveaway.

Amy’s Question: What is your favorite thing to do when you have free time? Spend time with my husband and family (barf), knit, read, bake, be utterly boring apparently.

Tonya’s Question: What is a talent you wished you had? I wish I had more natural artistic ability. My younger sisters have it and if I could figure out a way to rob them of it, I totally would.

Noelle’s Question: If you could go to heaven, who would you see and why? I would probably end up just taking note of who got in and who didn’t and then analyzing why that may be. Also my grandparents and great-grandparents and my uncle who have passed. Assuming they got in, which if they didn’t, screw it, I don’t want to go.

Vickie’s Question: Who is your favorite actor? I don’t think I really have one.

Kitten’s Question: Other than Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, etc. what are your most frequently visited websites? My family members’ blogs and journals. My googlereader. Flickr. I always try and hit Apartment Therapy, Design*Sponge, and Dooce, and GoogleNews roughly daily.

SeptemberMom’s Question: What was your favorite subject in school? Probably either English (lit not grammar) or History. I wish I had gotten more into science when I had the intellectual capacity to absorb more of it as I find it fascinating now.

Christy’s question: As a child/teen how did you envision your adult life? Housewife and mom to a passel of kids. I guess I was half right.

Dan from Art of Panic’s Question: How much time do you spend on your average blog post? Usually more time than should be necessary for it’s caliber.

Little Ms Blogger’s Question: If you could would you want to control the weather? That would probably be a really bad idea. It would always be 75ish, mostly sunny with an occasion light shower until I decided I felt like wearing a hat and mittens and then it would be snowing with next to no warning. In other words, I would end up destroying the world.

Susan’s Question: What is the one think you’d like to check off your “bucket list” in the next 5 years? I don’t have a bucket list. It sounds like a good idea, but I don’t think it would be healthy for me in the long run. Am too competitive and tend to be really hard on myself when I don’t reach goals I have set for myself. Plus, if life has taught me nothing else it’s that we’re not really in control, we are leaves on the wind.

Emotional Umbrella’s Question: If you could give any advice to your teenage self, what would it be? That while it doesn’t necessarily get easier, it does get better. And to start flossing.

My question: How lame is it that I can’t think of a question to add? Pretty damn.

And I answered all of them. I am a maverick that way.

Tagging: Mom, Rach, and Hannah.

By illustrator Tom Whalen, seriously check out his deviantart profile.
<via abduzeedo>

Couple more of my favorites after the jump.

I hope all my fellow United Statesians had a great Independence Day. Ours was spend eating (ok gorging) and visiting with family and friends at my parents’ house. We had four types of ribs (tandoori, brown sugar rub, barbecue, and Tony’s*), baked beans, corn on the cob, homemade bread, potato salad, chips and dip, and enough sweets to take out an entire hospital wing of diabetics.

My contribution to the gluttony was Bakerella’s 14-layer cake only instead of 14 layers, I made it with 13 layers to represent the thirteen original colonies (har!). I considered trying to come up with a variation with blueberry and strawberry fillings and white icing instead of the chocolate, but decided I didn’t have time for divorce proceedings, what with the holiday and all.

My youngest sister Rachel made the above totally adorable cookies and the cake pops below.

The only thing lacking from Frank Capra-esque festivities were fireworks. We, unfortunately, had to leave before sunset to get home before the fireworks (it’s a whole big traffic fiasco thing) and apparently we missed the memo wherein the city decided to move the fireworks down the river a hundred yards, so instead of being able to watch them from our yard, they were directly behind the trees and all we could see was the rising smoke. Fail.

PS This post was a lot more verbose and hilarious but my (current) webhost is experiencing difficulties and I completely lost the original copy of this post and had to rewrite it…while trying to suppress the bloodlust, so it lost some of its sparkle in the rewrite.

More photos can be seen at my Flickr photostream.

*A Louisiana staple. Most people would give up oxygen before they would give up Tony’s.

I know I haven’t been updating much lately, truth is that lately my life has consisted of little more than trying to keep from dying of a heat stroke. After a relatively mild spring (like we actually got one) the heat has arrived with a vengeance in Louisiana. Near recordbreaking heat every day means I haven’t really been doing much baking, cooking beyond halfheartedly grilled chicken, knitting, or anything that might even be remotely interesting.

Hopefully soon I will either get re-acclimated to the oppressive heat or we will get bit of a break in the weather and find my motivation again.

Usually The Husband’s and my weekend consist of either:

a) Going to visit family or
b) Spending most of the time in a near-vegetative state

This weekend, however, we decided to mix it up a bit.

We started out Friday night with an actual meal of steak and Smashed Potatoes, as opposed to our normal pizza or something else that will leave leftovers so we don’t have to cook the next day.

Then Saturday morning is set our alarm clock (!) early enough so that we could go to the local green market and bakery (and everyone not be sold out and packing up).

Both ended up being somewhat of a disappointment. We were hoping there would be a good variety of produce at the green market, but it was mostly baked good, crafts, and just your normal old potatoes, onions, peppers, etc. which we either already had plenty of or didn’t need. Instead I spent our budget on a bouquet flowers, which I broke up into smaller bouquets to brighten up little corners of the house.

The bakery was sold out of all their bread by the time we got done at the green market. We ended up getting them to set us back a baguette from the next batch and picked it and some various pastries up after running other errands (including a new globe for our bathroom light to replace the one I broke like 4 years ago. Yay, no more bare bulbs!) Really it turned out fine, because the baguette and pastries were to die for.

Seriously, we didn’t even get back into the house before we had to get a taste of the baguette and obviously I didn’t make it until after the photos were taken before sampling the almond croissant. Heaven.

The evening was spent with our friends, eating spanakopita (made by my friend Marissa, SO GOOD) and watching their kids play in their pool.

Then this afternoon I made homemade donuts (recipe via Joy the Baker). They turned out pretty good for a first attempt. The chocolate glaze wasn’t quite right in my opinion (The Husband thought it was fine), but I didn’t have any bittersweet chocolate on hand, only nonsweetened and I even after monkeying around with it trying to compensate it still didn’t float my boat, so to speak. The glazed however, were spot on.

Maybe after a get a couple more attempts under my belt, I can write up a tutorial. However, before I attempt again, I need to hunt me down some decent cutter. My normal biscuit cutters were the wrong sizes and I ended up having to improvise with an old meat maker thingy (which I never use to make meat pies, ironically enough) and the lid off a bottle of decorating sugar for the hole. Not the best tools for the job.

And after all that, I think the donut holes with cinnamon sugar ended up being my favorite part.

Oh I almost forgot, check out the supermega-awesome painting my little sister made me.

I swear if I didn’t love her so much I would be forced to hate her very, very much.

Now, if you will excuse me, I think I need to go see if there is a home remedy for sugar shock.

A few more photos of the flowers can be seen on my flickr photostream.