Appropriate for Halloween: The Catacombs of Alexandria

Stone coffins that held mummies. These have Roman and Egyptian markings carved on them.

One of the entrances to the Catacombs - though not the one that we used.

While in Egypt, the husband and I took a day trip from Cairo to the coast to visit the city of Alexandria. The temperature there was much cooler, although it was extremely humid, a very sticky kind of day. In addition to having a great meal on the water, we also got to visit the Catacombs that are there. We were not allowed to take any pictures, but in the end the guards allowed us to take pictures of the outside...I guess anything is possible in Egypt if you are willing to tip. The inside was actually amazing, while we walked through, I felt like I was on the set of an Indiana Jones movie, it was pretty surreal. The catacombs remained undiscovered for many centuries until one day a donkey fell into a hole in the ground, about a hundred feet down. The poor beast actually fell right onto an alter that had been used for animal sacrifices made by families of the dead when they were placed into the tombs of the Catacombs...kind of ironic when you think about it. The whole thing had a very eerie dungeon quality to it...we stood in the place where people had feasted for days to celebrate the lives of passed family members. Alexandria is truly a place where the culture of the ancient Romans overlapped that of ancient Egypt, the dead of both civilizations was found in the Catacombs.

I thought this particularly appropriate to share on the creepiest day of the year. Tonight the husband and I are going to stay in for a cozy dinner and a couple of horror flicks we rented specifically for a quiet Halloween date night. We have a fantastic speaker system in the room where we watch movies, it's best for watching scary films in the dark, all of the sound effects put into a scary movie are that much scarier when put in surround sound. Horror isn't usually my favorite genre, but for Halloween nothing else will do!

Happy Halloween to you!

Was It Really Just A Week Ago?

A view of the pyramids from the desert side, Cairo is in the distance.

The Grand Pyramid up close. This is the pyramid we went inside of.

A stairway leading to the original entrance of the Grand Pyramid.
Looking up to the original entrance.

Sometimes when I travel, especially when the destination is "exotic", I have a hard time getting my mind around the idea that I've really been there when I return home and get back into a normal routine. I've had a bit of that feeling this past few days as I've been thinking about Egypt. Maybe it's the huge contrast in climate and culture. Today is grey, foggy and rainy, nothing at all like the scorching temperatures and humidity of Egypt. This morning I went to a hair appointment, my drive to the salon was calm, no honking, no one cutting me off, one car per lane. After the hair appointment, I met the husband at our favorite terriyaki place for lunch...we could read the menu and order easily and we paid for our food with the same currency that we have in our bank accounts so there were no mental conversion rate calculations to determine cost, thoughts of possible stomach issues brought on from the food we were eating never entered our minds. Generally, life at home is easy and predictable. Traveling can be rough and unpredictable at times, but (to me) that's what makes it great. There is a sense of satisfaction after successfully ordering a meal, negotiating a taxi fare, or visiting a sight that you've only read about in a textbook. Traveling can be exhausting, but that's the first thing that I forget, it's the exciting moments and the cross-cultural interactions that I hold onto. Somewhere in the haze of the jet lag in the first few days home, I've found myself trying to put into context the amazing experiences I had in Egypt. My past travel experiences have shaped my world view and my goals...sometimes it just takes a little time to digest and reflect after an amazing trip.

No....

I haven't disappeared, at least not completely. But, after being gone last week, I've felt the need to put my focus on my work, I have quite a few more students now. I'm enjoying this new job more and more each day. My focus has also been on spending time with the husband, it seems like lately we've been in one of those lots-to-talk-over seasons, which means even more talking than normal, he's my best friend, I need him like that some times...alright, most of the time. All is well though, I am re-enjoying the fact that we have beautiful seasons in Washington state...I'm glad I don't live in a part of the world like Egypt where the seasons are "too hot" and "pretty darn hot". We've had quite a bit of rain, but it hasn't dampered my spirits like it did the last couple of years...it's actually felt cozy. Good weather for quality chats. I haven't done any sewing since coming home. I think the weekend will be a good time for that. Right now we are planning on a day trip to Leavenworth on Friday to enjoy the colors of the changing leaves...and perhaps a beer at a German restaurant. My chickens don't seem to mind the rainy, cold weather right now...we've had 6 eggs a day for the past four days...Keep it up ladies, your eggs are the best! So I'm here, complete with my random-stream-of-consciousness-style blogging and a couple of trip pictures to share, what can I say, the camels found a way into my heart while I was in Egypt, they are quite cute. They kind of remind me of overgrown cats, grumpy but sweet all at the same time. Maybe you had to be there. I will show up again soon, maybe a little later in the week, you can't force these things, you know?

Good To Be Home!

We are back...it was an amazing week for me. I will have some fun things to share coming up about our time in Egypt... ...and even about our short visit to Amsterdam.

Until then, I will be recovering from jet-lag. I woke up this morning at about 4 am, wide awake and hungry! I had a relaxing morning of a yummy breakfast (I missed my chicken's eggs!), watching DVR'd shows on tv, a nice walk with Bambino in the fresh crisp fall air, a relaxing bubble bath - complete with a good book, and then a several-hour nap. I'm now trying to conjure up the energy to go make dinner - chicken fajitas - better get on that!

See you soon!

Fresh Cut Flower Friday - Bon Voyage!

I'm off today...it's going to be a lot of time in transit. The flight I'm taking to Amsterdam is (I think) a 9 hour flight, then I have an 8 hour layover there before catching my flight to Cairo. Even though it's going to be quite a haul, there are two really nice things about my travel this time...first is that I am flying business class on my flight to Amsterdam - Thank you frequent flyer miles! The second great thing is that there is a Sheraton Hotel attached to the Amsterdam airport, and the husband used some of our hotel points to reserve me a room there. The rooms are all sound proofed, so I will be able to rest, shower, and renew before my last leg. Even though it is going to be a long trip, I can not explain how wonderful it is going to be to see the husband...I miss him like crazy!

I'll see you when I get back!

Last Minute Project

I'm dropping in very quickly today because I have tons to do as I get ready to Leave Tomorrow!

I will be working as I travel, which means bringing along my trusty laptop. The laptop bag that I have had for a while won't fit into my suit case or my carry on bag, it's too bulky. So, I made this simple zippered pouch to keep my laptop safe inside of my other luggage. It was made pretty quickly this morning, but I still managed to add a couple of pockets inside with some scraps from a skirt I made a while ago. One pocket is for a pen and pencil, the other is a good size for my air card and other small accessories. I'm not bringing much else, just a spiral notebook, so this pouch is minimally sized. This was the first project I'd made for myself that I used one of my tags on...I like the way it looks! If I'd had a bit more time I would have added handles, an exterior pocket, and envelope-style flap over the top.

Bambino leaves to stay with the husband's parents tonight...Figaro is going to stay here with a good friend of mine who will be house sitting. We've figured out over time that this is the best arrangement for us and our pets when we travel, everyone is happy.

I'll stop by again tomorrow for a quick hello, and then it's Bon Voyage for me!

Just A Few Days Now...

I can't believe I leave for Egypt in just 3 days...right now I am balancing all of my responsibilities, but just kind of hanging in there until I get to leave. I really do miss my husband that much. And, to make up for the fact that Bambino is only getting attention from one parent instead of two, we've upped the amount of time we spend playing fetch each day...and he's been going for walks with me about every other day. Not a bad deal for him. Or for me, he's so tired by the end of the day that he can't hardly keep his eyes open.

When I haven't been doing stuff for work, I've been chipping away at my to-do list. All I can say is that I'm glad I got to the part about cleaning all of the bathrooms before this happened (this picture is not his most flattering ever!). I leave a fresh bowl of water out, just for him, by the door that leads to our garage. There is another water bowl in the area of our kitchen for Bambino, but Figaro is also welcome to it. In addition, I regularly fill not one but two bowls of water out in the garden for all pets to drink from. So why my dear Figaro felt he had no where else to turn when he was thirsty is beyond me. Like I said, I'm just glad that I'd cleaned it before he decided to do this. But, I won't be giving him kisses on the face now!

Being alone has meant more time for reading, especially before falling asleep at night...for the past several days this book, by John Elder Robinson, is what I've been picking up. Honestly, it's hard to put it down, even when I can barely keep my eyes open. He has a form of autism called Asbergers Syndrome, a form of autism sometimes called "mini-professor" autism. In the past I have taught a few students with Asbergers...so it is fascinating to read his story. It seems that because he is an adult and has learned to articulate his feelings and experiences, I wonder if some of the things that he says are things that have been true for the kids I've known as well. As someone who is fascinated by all things education, learning and intelligence related, this book is definitely one that I would recommend to others with similar interests. If anything, I think every teacher should at some point put it on their reading list.Well, I'm off to get more of my to-do list finished, that way I can go play fetch with Bambino, fill up Figaro's water bowl, and sit down for a while to read.

Thoughts About Cooking, Eating, and Health

As I've been thinking about what I eat for dinner this past week, it hit me that I don't like to cook for myself...it's just not as satisfying. Also, as I've been getting little update emails from the husband this last week, it was a bit satisfying to hear that he hasn't been thrilled with the food that has been in front of him this past week, his comment that he realized that he really misses my cooking and that I've spoiled him a bit, has been bouncing around in my head quite happily. I've also made a point of going for regular walks while I've been alone, and even before that when I began my online job, all with the purpose of slimming down and getting into better shape.

So with my mind on these things, I came across this interesting exerpt on another blog today:

Wanna lose weight? COOK FOOD YOURSELF.

"[Harvard economist David] Cutler and his colleagues ...surveyed cooking patterns across several cultures and found that obesity rates are inversely correlated with the amount of time spent on food preparation. The more time a nation devotes to food preparation at home, the lower its rate of obesity. In fact, the amount of time spent cooking predicts obesity rates more reliably than female participation in the labor force or income. Other research supports the idea that cooking is a better predictor of a healthful diet than social class: a 1992 study in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that poor women who routinely cooked were more likely to eat a more healthful diet than well-to-do women who did not. So cooking matters — a lot. Which when you think about it, should come as no surprise. When we let corporations do the cooking, they’re bound to go heavy on sugar, fat and salt; these are three tastes we’re hard-wired to like, which happen to be dirt cheap to add and do a good job masking the shortcomings of processed food. And if you make special-occasion foods cheap and easy enough to eat every day, we will eat them every day. The time and work involved in cooking, as well as the delay in gratification built into the process, served as an important check on our appetite. Now that check is gone, and we’re struggling to deal with the consequences." --Michael Pollan, "Out of the Kitchen, on to the Couch" New York Times Magazine, July 29, 2009.

So cooking for yourself matters...this past week that I've been alone has put that into even better perspective. Saturday and Sunday night's dinners have been semi-failures in the cooking realm, I'll share more on that a little later in the week. But, Sunday morning I did get a baking bug and whipped up two loaves of fresh bread, two loaves of pumpkin bread, and a batch of oat cookies that are sweetened only with bananna and dark chocolate chunks. I have to admit that the time in the kitchen was calming and almost theraputic. I felt the least lonely that I've been in the past week while I was measuring ingredients, turning on the mixer, preparing a pan, kneeding dough, turning on the oven, cleaning flour off of the countertops...even the smell of wonderful things baking in the oven changed how I was feeling.

Just as there is something to be said about growing your food yourself, or in the case of our eggs, raising your food yourself, there is equal value in the time spent preparing a meal that nourishes you. I've struggled in my relationship with food for a long time, knowing how to properly portion amounts onto my plate, knowing when I'm hungry vs. when I'm just bored, or stressed, or sad. My weight as an adult has reflected that struggle.

I am a classic "yo-yo-er", and while I'm not sure that's even a word, I am sure that when I am preparing healthy meals from ingredients I trust, for just myself or to share with others, I have a tendency to slow down and appreciate what is going in. Working from home has helped with this...as a teacher in a traditional brick and mortar building, I was overwhelmed by the pressure to eat a meal and enjoy the company of my colleagues whom I didn't spend time with at any other point in the day, all within a matter of 30 minutes. The bells ringing in a school building are unforgiving...you must move when you hear them, your students are waiting, your administrators may be watching...I don't miss that.

In the last year, I've felt like I've been on a path back to having a healthy relationship with meal times. While I really don't like the experience of "cooking for one" again, I think this past week has made me more sharply aware that I need to continue on that path. I am not at a point where I feel like I've "got it", there are always going to be new challenges...for instance, there is a history of diabetes in mine and the husband's family.

So as I continue to gain understanding, I will periodically continue to share what I've learned. Not because it makes for fascinating reading, I'm not so vain as to think this post is that fantastic, but because I want to mark my journey. I want to pay attention to my relationship with food, and remain conscious of my choices.

Dinners for One: Installment One

So this post was my fantastic idea, fantastic to me, that is. I wrote it over the last few days, and it challenged me to think ahead about what I was going to eat for dinner and to remember to take pictures before I ate. I guess I'm a little bored being at home alone, so challenges of any kind are a good thing.

As I prepared dinner the day that I'd dropped the husband off at the airport, I realized a couple of things...First, I eat waaaay differently when I'm by myself, I'm sure that's true for most folks, when cooking for one, you only have to think about what you want without any compromise. Second, I realized that presentation, arrangement and aesthetic have become more important to me now that I cook for someone else regularly. When I was single, I rarely thought about the way my food looked on a plate, or how it was going to be served from a dish. Now thinking of those things is second nature.

That first night, I found myself putting slices of cucumber and tomatoes just so around a plate, leaving room for some deep purple grapes and cheese to go around a chunk of toasted french baguette...by the time I was done, I was actually kind of impressed with how it looked, the arrangement actually made it more appetizing. To drink, I had a glass of stale Syrah...not bad considering. I am sorry I do not have a picture of that dinner, I took one but messed up and deleted it on my phone as I was supposed to be sending it to my email...oops! But I do have pictures of the subsequent meals for one that I have enjoyed this past week:

Wednesday Night:

It All Goes In Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Toasted French Baguette Slices and a Cold BeerIngredients for this salad included: Baby Spinach, Sliced Black Olives, Garbanzo Beans, Shredded Parmesean Cheese, Mandarin Oranges, Fresh Avocado, Toasted Pine Nuts and a Spicy Peanut Dressing on the side.

Thursday Night:
I Don't Really Feel Good or Feel Like Cooking Dinner of
Instant Chinese Noodle Soup with added Basil and Shrimp, An Assortment of Rice Crackers and Mineral Water

I actually didn't get through this whole bowl of soup, I was a little heavy on the shrimp, but the rice crackers were pretty yummy.

Friday Night:

I'm Kind of Lonely So I'm Going to Eat Comfort Food Meal

Trader Joe's Macaroni and Cheese

with Sliced Natural Hot Dog

Fresh Corn Cut From the Cobb

Green Beans from a Can

Diet 7-up On Ice

This was a night of my eyes being bigger than my stomach...Bambino ended up polishing off left-over everything but the green beans, those for some reason I finished completely...

So as I get ready to publish this post, I am thinking of what I am going to eat tonight. It's already 8:30, kind of late to just be starting to think of this, but I've been sewing all afternoon. Also, I think I've realized that when I'm alone I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, worrying that I'm just about to get sick. I've taken my own temperature about 18 times in the last three days. I swear I feel a soreness coming on in my throat, and today I felt the need to nap for two hours. This kind of behavior is getting in the way of a normal eating schedule today...maybe I'll just make some pumpkin bread and call it good. I saw a yummy looking recipe that I think I have all of the ingredients for...

Happy Birthday, Turbo!

It's the husband's birthday today...and right now he's literally on the other side of the world. It's an understatement to say I miss him. How can I put into words how much I wish he was here or I was there? When my most important person isn't here, I can get through the tasks of my day, but I still feel a little lost.

These feet, that will stay in their favorite pair of hiking boots even during a nap, are right now on the other side of the world in the country of Egypt!

Of course I'm independent and can take care of myself and our home, but it is nice to share life's responsibilities with my best friend. It's also nice to share downtime...lately we've been able to get more of that together.

He sometimes hangs out in my office while I work or sew...just to be in the same room.

I like the sweet things he does for me even when he doesn't have to, makes me want to turn around and do the same. I noticed from the start of our relationship that the give and take balance between us was amazing...no other relationship I'd had prior had been that way - I guess that's why it worked out and we got married :-)

He fills up my car - even when I'm the driver.

Our house doesn't feel the same when he's not here. Even Figaro and Bambino are different when he's not here, it's like they know that our "pack" is missing it's leader. I've always been the one to nurture and cuddle them, but the husband is their authority figure as well as the one who plays and rough houses with them, they definately shine in a unique way when he gives them attention and plays with them.

I've never seen a cat trust someone as much as Fig trusts his dad.

Before he left, I was able to take him to a couple of his favorite local spots...Snow Goose Produce for the biggest ice cream cones you've ever seen, I literally scrape about half off of mine off each time and still it's a huge scoop. It's a fun place to visit, they are located off of a country road, right smack dab in the middle of a bunch of farm fields. It's pretty common to see heavy farm machinery drive by while we sit and enjoy our cones. As their name says, they also have wonderful produce...remember the picture of the big, ugly, sweet carrots? That was at Snow Goose. So I've always liked going there, but it wasn't until we discovered the ice cream that the husband has really enjoyed it like I do...we're both happy.

Because chocolate causes him migraines, he always ends up with some variation of vanilla with caramel, his favorite.

The other place I took him recently is our favorite burger spot, Fiamma, up in Bellingham. It's always a winner for us. It is on the way to/back from Mt. Baker, so I imagine when we go up there to snowboard this winter, we'll be stopping for dinner at Fiamma's pretty much every time.

A trip to Fiamma always makes for a great day!

It helps to think that he's doing things that he loves on his trip, things he wouldn't be able to do on his birthday if he were home...first meeting his oldest friend in Cairo, then the two of them travelling to the Red Sea to go diving. They were certified to dive together on a trip they took to Austrailia a few months before I met the husband. So, this is kind of a fun return for the husband to his "bachelor days", he's said a few times recently that it will be fun to do a "guys trip". He doesn't often get to do that sort of thing.

After that, they're traveling back to Cairo and meeting up with the rest of their Habitat for Humanity team for building. The husband is a builder by trade here, but he has never built a brick and mortar house, so I'm sure he is going to be learning some new masonry skills. I don't know how modernized the building methods are going to be, so it will be interesting to hear him share about his experiences. He has an amazing work ethic, so his team will benefit. I don't know too many other people who work as hard as he does.

Always one to stay busy, he uses his tractor to do work on our property and for other people.

Once the build is over I'll be flying into Cairo. We're going to have a few days there to see the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza. I'm also excited to find some markets/bazaars to do some shopping. I'm horrible when it comes to bartering for a better price, but I've learned that it is expected there....so maybe this will be my chance to work on that. I definately want to find some Egyptian cotton to use in the quilt I want to make for our bed...a piece big enough to use as the backing would be great. Right now I'm trying to focus on life here, getting work and some sewing done, giving both pets lots of love, and even enjoying the things that are benefits to being home alone: eating strange combinations of food that only I find appetizing, spending too much time plucking my eyebrows, the floors staying clean for more than a day after I've mopped/vacuumed them, sleeping diagonally on the bed (or not!), watching shows on tv that I know would irritate him...you know, the stuff you don't realize is so great before you live in the same house as the love of your life!

So cheers to the husband on his 39th birthday spent on the African continent, and cheers to me being temporarily single in a round-a-bout kind of way.

Letter for 38

A letter to my husband who is travelling overseas:

Darling today is the last day of your 38th year...and a year from tomorrow you will say goodbye to your 30's. Live it up, my love, fully enjoy every part of your trip and of course embrace this next year with your usual energy and drive. I'm proud to be married to someone who goes out and lives his dreams! I'm happy that you are going to get to dive on your birthday tomorrow, that's so perfect! I will be there with you in just a little more than a week...

Your wife

Overnight, the husband emailed me the picture above of the hotel on the Red Sea where he is staying. He was in the Red Sea diving while I slept...time zones are weird! It looks lovely, just thought I'd share it. He's having a great time, the diving is a huge part of that of course! I miss him terribly, but then I also know how much he needs this time, kind of a torn feeling.

When I got out of bed this morning, I kind of chuckled a bit at the way the bed looked, so I decided to snap a picture to share (side note: I have to apologize for the quality of my pictures this week, I'm using my the camera on my phone because I don't have my digital camera). I know I said I was going to take advantage of being alone and sleep diagonally, but I guess this picture is proof that I'm too practical for that. I figured out that if I don't put any of the decorative pillows on the floor, but pile them up on the husband's side instead, making the bed is super quick, takes about half the time since only half of it was slept in! Excuse the crooked bed skirt and the stuff on the floor - I'm in the midst of starting to pack and laundry right now!

Big, Ugly, Sweet

I love this sign that I saw at one of my favorite local spots, Snow Goose Produce. I may have to go there sometime this next week...maybe get some carrots to make a big, ugly, sweet carrot cake.

By the way, I forgot to mention it, but I added a playlist to the bottom of my blog. I have enjoyed playlists on a few of the blogs I read regularly, so I've been slowly building one up. The thing is, it's kind of an oddball mix of music, so I won't be offended if no one else ever listens to it. Actually, I set it so it wouldn't play automatically when you come to my blog because I don't expect anyone else to enjoy it. I'm not even sure if I enjoy it yet, lately I've been in the mood for new music, the things I typically listen to are feeling kind of stale. When I was picking songs for my playlist, I kind of haphazardly selected things from other people's lists, some that I recognized, some not so much. Again, I am in kind of a musical experimentation mood lately. As I am working at home now, it's nice to have music in the background while I'm online, and this way I don't have to spend money to try new tunes out. If you've read this far, first of all, you must have more patience than the average person, but secondly, if you have any music recommendations for me please feel free to comment and share. My musical taste tends to be kind of ecclectic but my all time favorites are Jack Johnson, Matt Costa, Ben Harper, G-Love, Tom Petty, johnny Cash, and ????. I will take all suggestions seriously...mean it, I am definitely open!

Salsa Making

There was a plethora (great word huh?) of tomatoes in my kitchen, all needing to be used before they went bad, so I made some salsa this morning. I'm trying to keep busy right now, to keep from being too lonely...so after Bambino and I went for a nice long walk this morning, this chore was next on my list. I obviously used tomatoes, also some Walla-Walla onions from the garden, cilantro, lime juice, a few chilis, and a bit of salt. Last I checked, the jars were cooling and popping their seals in on the kitchen counter. I'm not sure when the first jar will be opened for use, but I'm curious to see how it turned out. There was lots of chopping involved, but I'm hoping the finished product will make it worth it...The next couple of days will look a little different than normal around here...instead of my usual "Fresh Cut Flower Friday", I'm working on a post for the husband's birthday. He's going to be busy diving and such on the first leg of his trip, but maybe he'll get time to take a look...if not then there's always later one, it's the thought that counts right? He reads my blog, but not religiously.

Also, I've come up with a fun (to me) idea to keep me occupied in the evenings while I'm alone...it came to me actually last night as I was getting my dinner together. More on that probably on Saturday.

And He's Off...

Earlier today I had to go somewhere to do something that I didn't really want to do, something that made me sad. On my way home from that task, I decided to stop at Trader Joe's for a little grocery shopping...and because of my sad mood I decided that a little chocolate is in order. I'm not exactly in tip top physical shape right now, and because I'm trying to change that, this chocolate is going to have to last me exactly ten days. Why ten days? Because that's how long it will be until I return to the airport, this time not to drop off the husband, but to catch a flight myself.

At the end of that journey, I will get to see the husband again, and I'll be in Cairo Egypt, to boot! It's only been a few hours since I hugged and kissed him goodbye, but damn it I miss him already!

Monday Morning Tradition in the Making...

It is relaxing to me to watch tea leaves slowly fall to the bottom of my french press. It is comforting to me to hold a warm cup in my hands as I begin my work day. It is soothing to my somewhat sore throat to drink herbal tea on a crisp fall morning.

Here's to Monday traditions in the making! Also, this is my 150th post! Man that was fast! I didn't really see it coming, so nothing special planned this time. But, I'm already anticipating #200, there will be some sort of fabulous giveaway!

One last note...the husband leaves for Cairo tomorrow...I'll be alone for 10 days and then I'll leave to meet him there. I'm excited for his upcoming adventure, and I'm excited for my part of it, but being alone is not exciting to me, it's just kind of sad. I am going to come up with a solid routine so that the days don't feel so empty...

The Bon Voyage Has Begun...

I have spent a good part of this Sunday afternoon at my sewing machine...it's beautiful outside, but cold, so I prefer to be in the sunshine in my window to get my daily vitamin D, without having to put on a jacket.

One of the projects I completed was making this camera pouch for the husband for his trip. His old digital camera is on it's last leg, so he is going to borrow mine for the first part of his trip. For the second part of the trip I will be bringing his nice Nikon camera with me so he can use it to take pictures while we go sight-seeing. So, I have a camera case for my digital that the husband actually bought for me a couple of years ago for Christmas...the things is that it is pretty girly, it has a cute flower print on it. Not exactly his style. Also, he's going to keep the camera in his pocket while he is doing his Habitat build, so it needed to be protected but still compact.

I made this case pretty quickly...it's lined with black felt to protect the camera from any kind of bumps or scratches. The fabric is one that he picked out for a different project I worked on for him some time ago...I have sinced used it on onesies and as part of the quilt I made for a friend. I still had plenty left over to make this little pouch. When I gave him the pouch and the camera to add to his luggage, he was pleased with how it turned out. I tripple stiched all of the seams so that it will hold together for the trip.

The camera fits just right in the pouch...not a bit of extra space in there!

So he's one more step closer to being ready to go on Tuesday...it's going to be quiet here without him for ten days!

Figaro and an Apron

I finished this apron last weekend, it's off to Bungalow Bay to wait for it's owner. When I decided to snap a picture of it, Figaro decided it was time to cuddle. He tends to be more of a cuddle bug when the whether is colder. When it is warm he is much more independent, preferring to be outside hunting, playing, and napping in the sun; we don't see as much of him as when it's grey, rainy, and cold outside. I like it that he matches the orange in the pocket fabric.

Note about the apron: this was my first attempt at using the gathering foot on my sewing machine to make a ruffle. I forgot to take a close up of said ruffle, it ended up sewing to the bottom of the apron. I thought it turned out great, there are definitely going to be more ruffles in my sewing future!

Fresh Cut Flower Friday - The Week of the Fern

With the season changing I am trying to be a little more creative with the fresh cut "flowers" I bring in the house. As long as I can find alternatives to paying for flowers at the grocery store I will keep looking. The ferns are now all over my home, bringing a touch of fresh green inside. They were easy to find, a huge plot of them is growing on the edge of the woods on our property. Mixed with some remaining rose colored dahlias and sunflowers, the effect is quite nice I think.

Happy Friday!

The Chicken Definitely Came Before the Egg!

I'm completely on a roll today - two posts in less than 24 hours! I just had to check in though with a fantastic chicken update...I thought about waiting, but this is just exciting news in my world, so I don't want to hold on it. Last night the husband brought in an egg that looked nothing like the others that I've been collecting, it is small and has a greenish tone, but with brown freckle-like flecks all over it...it had a crack in it which makes me think that someone's beak got to it, but the membrane wasn't broken so I put it right into the refrigerator. Definately a gift from a new chicken, our second lady to lay. In the picture above, last night's egg is the one on the right.

Then this morning when I went to open up the chicken coop, there was a new egg in one of the nesting boxes. It is a deeper green than any other egg has been and it too is smaller than the eggs I've been recently getting, the gift of our third chicken to lay. In the picture it is the egg on the left.

Since our first egg came on 9/9, it has clearly been just the one chicken laying...it was about every 36 hours initially, and has increased to about every 24 hours. She was typically laying in the late morning or early afternoon. I've never checked and had two eggs at once - I'm still waiting for that to happen. But to have two more hens start to lay within 12 hours of each other is very exciting. By the way, the egg in the center is the same color as the previous 14 eggs I've collected, all from my original layer. From this picture you can't appreciate that it is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch longer than the two new eggs, again confirming that those eggs are the first eggs of other birds.

So our stats now are: 8 birds, 1 confirmed rooster, 3 hens that have laid at least once, and 4 birds that are presumed to be hens but have yet to lay.

Soon the light bulb that we installed in the coop will be turned on regularly with a timer. I've heard from my neighbor and a few other sources that this should help keep my ladies laying through some of the cold months.

It's very fun to have all of the work start to really pay off, and really, nothing beats the eggs, they are that good! One might say they are egg-cellent! Sorry I had to!

An Inspired Banner

I was inspired to take some of my coffee sack scraps that have lying around (not properly put away if I'm going to be completely honest), and put them to a fun seasonal use. The inspiration for this project comes from the writer of a blog that I regularly read, Maya*Made. Honestly, I can't believe the creativity of this woman, she has an amazing ability to make the most amazing items out of recycled/repurposed materials. Whenever I read posts about her many projects I inevitably want to make something myself...whether or not I get around to it is another thing...

Right now this banner hangs above my desk...very soon it will be gifted to someone else...no use keeping something that I can just as happily give away. Besides, I have plenty more scraps that I can put to good use. Happy Fall!