All Buttoned Up

What a great weekend! We’re a great, crazy bunch. Here’s how the weekend went:

I at some raspberries. Fresh from my mom’s bushes.

We played some cards and ate some yummy food.

We hung around and waited for the fireworks to start (there were 30 of us watching the fireworks).

They were bright.

And a little crazy.

And beautiful.

All these photos taken by me. On my honor. With help from this tutorial.

There were babies.

Adorable, very photogenic babies.

Such cute babies.

There was some intense cardboard boat building.

Some intense boat racing.

A huge crowd to cheer on the boaters.

We don’t actually know who the people in the real boats are. Apparently they thought racing cardboard boats was an oddity worth watching.

There were some prizes. My team won the titanic award. We literally went down in flames.

There was the charity auction. My sleep mask brought in $55. The bottle of Oliver wine that I donated at the last minute brought in $70! The total donation from the auction? $5,600!!!!

And because we’re not fun enough… we had a pinata too!

Whew. I’m exhausted. Click over to the flickr set for more photos.

If you’ll remember, today is my favorite holiday ever. Hopefully in a few days, I’ll give you some photographic proof of this holiday’s awesomeness in the way that my family celebrates it… but I have to remember to take photos. In the meantime, this holiday involves:

• a smattering of my 50 aunts and uncles (on one side)
• A selection of my 59 cousins (on one side) and 12 second cousins (I think that’s the term I want. Second and third always confuse me).
• Tons of food. Including beef from the cows my parents raise (with no chemicals or gross stuff)
• Raspberries. From my mom’s bushes. That means they’re free and all-I-can-pick.
• A boat regatta. Of the cardboard variety. Yup. We really do that.
• Swimming, boating and general frolicking in the best lake ever.

Oh! I almost forgot! I have a contest winner to announce!

Comment number 32 was….

Blogless Angela Noel! She’s been sent an email!

In other news… please everyone be safe with the big fire-exploding-making. Fireworks are not toys. They are fire. Just thought it was worth a review. Um. Yay!

Hi! My name is Nicole and I suck at sewing (and the crappy photography doesn’t help).

Anyway. I was inspired/jealous/peer-pressured/whatever by my knitting friend’s fabulous infinity dress. And I wanted to make one too. So I stopped at Jo-ann’s and bought some knit fabric (polyester, yuk) to make my own.

I was not as successful and I would have hoped. The dress involves ONE seam. One. Sewed. Seam. And I couldn’t even get it right. Here’s my timeline of the project (not a recommended avenue for your own dress):

1. Cut straps. Say to self “there’s tons of extra fabric at the end. I’ll be able to make a skirt, no problem.
2. Cut waist band. Wish really hard that there was some sort of direction in the “recipe” for how thick the waistband should be (clearly, my first attempt, 4 inches was too wide). Otherwise, the recipe was very helpful.
3. Hold up the remaining rectangle shape. Think to self “Hmm. this is going to be a short skirt. This might be a problem.” Consider the possibility that the other large chunk of “leftovers” might be the skirt section and then dismiss this possibility upon closer examination. Decide to continue without serious concern.
4. Make the rectangle more rounded, hoping to preserve as much length as possible. Decide that instead of cutting a hole in the skirt, a slit would preserve the most length in all directions. Cut a slit large enough to go around hips.
5. Step into skirt (to make sure the slit is wide enough) and consider again the fact that this is turning out to be a bit risque.
6. Remember Huan-Hua’s advice and attempt to pin all the pieces together, all the way around the waist.
7. Begin sewing. Curse the long straps (that get in the way). Have general frustration.
8. Finish the seam, hold up the dress, right side facing… and see 3 giant spaces where the seam did not go where it was supposed to and there are giant gaps.
9. Attempt 8 times (or so) to close these gaps, in the process shortening the skirt by milimeters each time. Finally decide that 2 of these gaps are now small enough that they are not important, particularly when the straps can be wrapped such that the seams essentially disappear.
10. Try on dress, realize that it shows a LOT of leg. Like a lot. Also realize that I may be a bit too… busty to wear the dress low enough to cover leg without sacrificing support and side coverage.
11. “Grrr.”
12. Decide to call it a learning experience and not obsess, move on to next project.
13. Just before closing out the firefox tab of the recipe, read that this dress could be worn as a top. Genius.
14. Decide that next time, I will make the straps wider (for less revealing side boobage) and double check the width of the fabric before I buy so that I can be sure the skirt will be long enough.

Here’s another photo, this time of the back.

*sigh.

My dad just called me, laughing hysterically.  This is how the conversation went:

Me: Hi dad.

Dad: What happens when a cat eats a ball of yarn?

Me: It gets a really bad hairball?

Dad: No.  It has mittens! *laughs*

Dad: Isn’t that funny?

Me: No.  It’s terrible actually.

Dad: No.  It’s funny.

Me: No it’s not.  It’s terrible.  It barely even makes sense.

Dad: Nuh uh.  It’s funny.  I bet you tell it to someone within 24 hours.

So there you have it.  I guess I told a lot of people.

The more important thing:  Is it in the “Father’s Manual” to tell lame jokes?  What’s the protocol to get that chapter amended?

Today is my Dad’s birthday! In honor of this, I’ve been developing a special muffin recipe (because he loves when I bake). I wanted to share it with you because I’m really, really happy with the recipe I’ve developed! It’s super yummy - really heart-healthy and moist and filling! I’m sorry I don’t have any photos. The two times I’ve made them I eat them so fast I forget to take a photo

• 2/3 C Milk
• 1/3 C Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 T applesauce
• 1 medium egg
• 2 C Bisquick
• 1/2 C quick cook oats
• 1 C frozen cranberries, thawed and cut in 1/2

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit.
2. Mix the milk, brown sugar, applesauce, and egg together.
3. Add in the oats andBiscuick - careful with the stirring - you only want it to be just moistened (it’s ok if you have some chucks of the Bisquick still in there). If you over-stir the texture won’t be as good.
4. Fold in the cranberries. Again, don’t stir very much.
5. Pour into 6 over-size muffin cups. I have a silicone pan so I don’t have to grease or line. You should probably grease or line your pan.
6. Bake for 28-30 minutes. If you used a stone or metal pan, remove from the pan immediately.
7. If yo used a 12-muffin pan, bake for 18-22 minutes and also remove immediately if you used a stone or metal pan.

A few months ago, I wrote about my “happy box.” I got a lot of comments about it and so I wanted to go into some more detail here. Basically, I put things in my happy box that make me happy.  When I get depressed or down, I pull it out and leaf through it for inspiration and a lift.  In doing this, I’m also inspired by The Happiness Project and wanted to share something that contributes to my happiness. I hope that I inspire you to find some of your own happiness. Feel free to borrow my idea - but remember that what makes me happy is going to be different than what makes you happy.

First, you’ll need a box. I used an old photo box until it was too small. This is what I’ve been using for the past few months:

I have a variety of “stuff” in my happy box. Since I’m a knitter, I have a swatch and photo of my first sweater…

I also thought it was important to put my favorite book in my happy box….

It’s by Eva Ibbotson. True, it’s sappy. But it makes me happy, and that’s the point of my happy box. I also have some more sentimental stuff in there - like letters and notes from my parents and family (that say more than just “we miss you.” - things like “we’re proud of you…”)….

I also have notes and cards from my residents from when I was an RA. I have a few from my current RAs that I supervise - and after they get taken off my refridgerator, I’ll put them in this box too….

I also have a note of encouragement from my grandpa (who is no longer with us)… I’d forgotten I had this and when I found it last spring, I cried as I read it….

Of course, I also have plenty of photos - of family, my awesome summer working at the yarn store (click the photo to see tags of who is who and stories behind them….)

And finally… I like to have things that make me laugh. Like this article for example…

It’s an article about a bunch of old women who tried to register for the army and staged a protest when the army wouldn’t accept them. It’s full of humor, wisdom and the best things in life. It makes me smile.

That’s a collection of some of the stuff in my happy box. What would you have in your happy box?

So. As you may know, I’ve been in New York for the summer. I’ve had an internship at Columbia  (working for one of the departments). I’ve done a ton of cool stuff - seen 4 shows on Broadway, been to a few museums, scored an awesome couture dress, torn it up at a few yarn stores and done some good knitting (although definitely not as much as I thought I’d need - I brought a whole suitcase of yarn - that was unneccesary - although it did give me a head start on getting stuff on Ravelry) and I’ve made some fantastic friends like Rachel, my roomate, pictured below.

First, thoughts on the internship: I’ve learned a lot from this internship. The first is that in future job searches, I should ask a lot of questions along the way. In all honesty, I didn’t know what kinds of questions I should have asked until I went through this process - but now, I have a big list of question for use in the future. I’ve also learned that in future job searches, what I’m actually doing on a day to day basis is much less important than the kind of supervisor I have. A supervisor, in my opinion, can make or break an internship. (I’m ecstatically excited to get back to IU - because I already have a great relationship with my Fall supervisor - heck, I’m knitting her a baby blanket…). How the organization is structured is also important and something that I’ll keep in mind in the future.

Thoughts on being a supervisor: I’ve only been able to do a little bit of supervising this summer (that’s me and one of my 1:1 “people” above- one of the girls I got to supervise more closely) - but its been just enough to learn that this is totally 100% what I want to do.  I am a student affairs professional (or I want to be one in the future).  I like being a mentor and I like helping people achieve their goals.  Student affairs is a fun profession and it’s one in which I do well.

And at the end of this whole thing (well, technically I have like 16 more days left, but who’s counting - plus I have to pack and stuff so I might not blog for a bit)?  I am at very least a country girl - but probably a midwestern girl.  True I’m absurdly liberal - but there’s something about smelling garbage day in and day out that makes you crave those few days a year when the farmers spread out the fertilizer and the whole county smells like cow shit.

Sometimes, when I think about it a lot, I almost start crying because I miss the Indiana nights.  I miss the sound of the crickets, the cicadas, the birds and the frogs.  I MISS THE SOUND OF RAIN!!!  When it rains here, I only hear it as the cars drive through it on the streets!  It doesn’t even hit my window!

And while we’re on the topic of water, I want to be able to touch wet things and know that it’s from the morning’s dew or a rain storm - and that it’s safe to touch!  I want to stop having to carry around this pocket size bottle of antibacterial gel.

I miss being able to lay in the grass and being the ONLY one doing so - and yet not get any stray glances because of it.  I miss people asking me if I want a pop (not a soda) and I want a can of this pop for less than a dollar!  I want to walk around with my fake chinatown Prada bag and instead of fitting in, I want to feel as pretentious and superficial as I ought to feel.

I’m such a country girl.   Pardon me while I go knit, in my rocking chair, while I listen to some Kenny Chesney.  And then I’m going to make my mom’s potato salad recipe.  And go outside and look for some stars in the sky.  I don’t expect to have any luck.

I left my awesome apartment yesterday… and for the purposes of this post, I came home with two things: The first of which is this fabulous purse (they’re just called “bags” here)-

I paid 5 dollars for it. It’s awesome. It even has a separator in the middle - so I can keep my sock in progress (pattern coming this weekend!!) separate from my junk-du-jour! Love this bag. Plus, it’s my favorite color!

I also came home with something else… something much different from my 5 dollar bargain…

Yea… that scarf… that dress… I picked those out from the studio of Twinkle. You know Twinkle right?  Twinkle of big city knits? Um ya… proof I was there, in case you don’t believe me.  And proof it really is from her collection, again, incase you don’t believe me.

So why do I have this?  Basically, Twinkle is doing this press thing at Anthropologie where she’s going to be teaching all sorts of magazine editors to knit scarves and throws.  I’m going to be there, in this dress (I have to give it back), walking around the room helping give people one on one help.  So I guess this means that I’ve now had some sort of “fashion” experience in NY.  How cool is this?  (At least as cool as being the second row to see Fantasia sing in The Color Purple on Broadway!)

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write on their blogs 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.

seven random facts:
1. My favorite part of jello is the “skin” that forms on the bottom when you don’t stir it all the way and sugar settles on the bottom. My favorite part of homemade pudding (the kind you heat over the stove) is the skin that forms on top.

2. Izzie used to be my favorite character on Grey’s Anatomy and now I HATE her. She broke the girl rule (you do not “go there” if the man is in a relationship!!!). Bitch.  I think I should just stop here and leave it at that.

3. My favorite book ever is probably a book called “A Song for Summer” by Eva Ibbotson- it’s just really, really good.  The first time I read it, I sobbed for the entire last 45 pages (my dad thought something was wrong with me).  Essentially, the whole book sets up this fantastic love story that sorta all comes together in the end.  God, and the turtle headstone gets me every time.  Has anyone other than me read this?

4. I’ve had dreams about being back in Ireland (I went there on vacation my senior year of high school) and when I wake up and realize it’s not true, I get really really sad.  Mostly, I miss this yogurt called “Fruit Crumble” made by a company named Sno.  I don’t think they make it anymore (can anyone over there verify this?), but when I was there, I ate like 2 of them a day - they were soooo good!

5. I have a “happy” box.  I keep little notes people write me and things that make me happy.  The swatch from the first sweater I ever knit.  Copies of letters of recommendation that people have written for me.  A photo of my grandmother, mom and sister and I before we went to see “Wicked.”  Cute notes and drawings that my residents made me.  And when I get really down, or I doubt myself or just need a pick me up, I leaf through it.
6. I have a birthmark on my eyelid.  It’s about 1/3 inch in diameter (and round in shape) and pretty noticable.  When I was little, my teachers and random strangers would think there was dirt on my eyelid and come at me with thumbs moistened by their tongue - to try to wipe it off.

7. The movie “Prancer” was filmed in my elementary school and Oprah used to be my neighbor (when she had that farm in Indiana).  Seriously, swear on my life.

So… tagging 7 people… Jamie, Tori, um, and whoever else wants too!

A few weeks ago, I walked down one of the side streets in Bloomington at night and saw into this girls apartment.

Her apartment looked so warm and comfortable. If I was sick, having a couch like hers would be very inviting.

I want a couch on which to cuddle under my Log Cabin Blanket. I want to be able to make grilled cheese sandwiches and have a whole cabinet for all of my mugs and my teas.

And I’m finally done living in dorms. Finally.

Here in NYC (yep, I made it, more to come later), I finally have an apartment. But since I flew here, my roomie and I didn’t bring more than the bare minimals. I expected our apartment to be an example of extreme minimalism.

But, that’s not the case! You see, all these Columbia students are moving out - and throwing away perfectly nice things. So, Rachel and I put up a sign asking people to call us if they were tossing certain items (someone gave her a guitar. Seriously!) and walked around the buildings grabbing stuff that we liked from trash piles.

Two girls gave us this futon! It’s going to be perfect for when people come and visit me!

Then, we got a whole bunch of kitchen stuff from this kid on our floor who was moving out - his mom totally hooked us up
-

The wok - is in perfect condition!  We’ve also gotten our hands on a gorgeous rug, 7 posters and some awesome storage bins.  When we’re all moved and settled into the apartment we’ll be in for the summer, I’ll post pics of everything.  It’ll be far more cozy that I thought it was going to be!

Today, I’m off to the MoMA!