
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Funny Things to See

Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tablecloth Skirt

This skirt, like too many in the past, did not fit. I made the A-line, side-zipper skirt from Sew What! Skirts. It's a book I really want to like, but I have found that all of the skirts I have made from it (excluding the wraparound skirts) have been grossly large on me. By inches. After the zipper was sewn in this skirt, I tried it on. I ended up taking an inch off one side seam (because I was not going to take out that zipper). The skirt was doomed from the start.
After the skirt was finished, I noticed the zipper. And then I tried it on again, and it was so big around my waist that I could tug on it and it came over my hips. The skirt required two darts at the waist, which were about an inch each.
I knew I couldn't live with the wonky zipper so I fixed it. What? You don't believe me?
Monday, October 26, 2009
Again?!?
I started my iPod and started my watch. I thought it was impossible, but it happened again.
My left ankle gave out on me (which it usually does in the same spot every run) and I did not recover (like usually do). I fell.

Yes. Lera fell. Again. Go ahead laugh. I’d join you, except that I pulled a muscle in my chest and it hurts any time I try to breathe, laugh, or move.
It happened so fast that I couldn't even think “not my knees! NOT MY KNEES!” Before I knew what was happening both knees were on the road and my mind was screaming, “not my face! NOT MY FACE!” And I threw my hands down on the ground. And I did a major, major push-up action. Well, I didn’t really push up. I just landed that way. Like I was going to do a push-up, if I could do a push-up. My nose came within two inches of the road.
To make matters worse, a car stopped to ask if I was okay. Yes. There was a witness to this fall. (I keep wondering, “do I know that person?” and worse yet, “do they know me??” I’m terrified at the thought of hearing “Oh, the new council person just did a face plant on the road back there.”)
So I lost a little bit of my dignity that morning. And a bunch of skin on my knees That fall I had last week in the chicken coop pales in comparison to this fall. I am sore from my armpits to my ankles. (Oh, the faulty ankle is fine, by the way. It just pulled a naughty prank on me that morning.) I can’t bend my knees without wanting to cry. I can’t squat to lower myself onto the sofa. I can’t get off the sofa. I had to use the wheelchair-accessible bathroom at church yesterday so I could use the bar to lower myself and hoist myself back up again. All the while groaning in agony. (I only went to church because the children were in a program and I didn’t want to miss it and one of my boys had a talk.)

So that was my weekend. Sitting on the sofa with ice on my knees and handfuls of ibuprofen. Not much else to report. (Oh, except poor Spenser had an ingrown toenail fixed on Friday. That poor little girl.)
So, for those of you who asked, I think I will put something in my sidebar about the number of falls Lera can take. This fall makes three. Well, three that I can remember. Three that have caused significant pain/injury. (Since mid-July.)
*Oh, and did I mention that I was less than 10 seconds into my run when this happened? 10 seconds! I was in front of my next door neighbor's house. Well, actually, in front of the lot that separates us. That may have been my shortest run in history.
*If you notice the nasty yellowing bruise down my shin, it has grown to be longer than the length of my hand, from my wrist to the tip of my middle finger.
Friday, October 23, 2009
You Know You're a Redneck


Thursday, October 22, 2009
Is it ever

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Ouch!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ruffled Shirt - Mod Green

It was bliss.
We just all hung around the house because it was too cold and dreary to do anything else. Carter had a friend spend the night and so everyone had their own thing to do. Peacefully.
I sewed. I had a list a mile long of things I've wanted to do and haven't had time to do. I tidied my long-neglected sewing area, mended a few things, embellished a few things, and sewed a few things. One of the shirts I embellished was this $4.20 clearance special from Target. I bought a second shirt to cut up and ruffled away. Total cost = $8.40 + tax and a few minutes of my time.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Marimekko Love

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Ribbon Flower


Saturday, October 10, 2009
40

- I drive on "auto-pilot."
- I usually go to the same places all the time and don't have to think where I'm going.
- Last week I had to make a few out-of-the-ordinary stops.
- I went the wrong way 2-3 times in just one morning just because I wasn't thinking.
- I like to watch iCarly.
- I was home alone a year ago (in bed suffering a stomach virus) when I realized I had been alone for hours, yet I was still watching iCarly.
- And I didn't change the channel.
- I love buffalo wings.
- I had some for dinner tonight and they are the first "real" wings I've had since we lived in Ohio.
- I might have been pregnant with Mason.
- Mason just turned 7 in August.
- Almost everything is better with Frank's Red Hot Sauce.
- I {heart} that stuff.
- Joe bought me a new cell phone yesterday.
- I can now text.
- Before last night, I had only texted twice.
- Both times to Joe, while he was out of town.
- Once during church.
- The other time when I lost internet service and I knew I couldn't call him on his cell phone while he was in classes all day.
- He never got the second text.
- So maybe it only counts as one.
- I have texted many times since last night.
- In fact, my thumbs were sore last night.
- And today.
- Maybe my thumbs are getting old.
- I started to sew a skirt a few weeks ago.
- And still haven't finished.
- I have two (three ?) more planned for the fall.
- I need to get moving.
- I discovered a yummy candy bar this week.
- I've eaten many.
- I would eat another now, but wings and cheesecake have filled me up.
- Joe can usually read my mind.
- It can be a scary thought.
- Today I thought I wanted to eat cheesecake.
- When we stopped at the store (in between soccer games), Joe bought a cheesecake.
- I love raspberry anything.
- And I love chocolate-raspberry anything.
- I think it's possibly the best combination ever created.
- Chocolate-raspberry hot chocolate is the best.
- I've been drinking Rooibus tea and I love that, too.
- I just bought four (or five ?) boxes of this.
- Our local SERRV was having a great sale.
- That's also where I bought the Divine Chocolate.
- I went to SERRV three times this week.
- I'm happy that the sale ended today.
- I'm happy that another sale starts Nov. 19th.
- I bought myself a handmade purse today.
- 60% off.
- And a pair of 100% wool gloves for little hands.
- For $4.00
- And earlier in the week I bought an adorable 100% wool hat for a little Sawyer head.
- Did I mention that I'm happy the sale ended today?
- I can't afford to go back until November.
- And maybe not then.
- I have a Christmas Club account and save money all year long for Christmas.
- I refuse to use credit cards.
- I {heart} my debit card.
- I should freeze it in a block of ice and keep it in the freezer.
- When I'm in a hurry, my handwriting is illegible.
- Even to myself.
- I've enjoyed being on Town Council.
- Did I tell you I get paid for attending meetings?
- Don't get too excited.
- It's not a lot of money.
- But it's the first money I've made in a decade or so.
- I get paid quarterly.
- I've gotten paid twice so far.
- I'm in charge of the town's street lights.
- And mowing contract.
- And the elderly, subsidized housing complex.
- And maybe something else that has slipped my mind.
- I report stoplight outages to the State Highway Administration.
- We have one stoplight in town.
- Well, only one intersection with a stoplight, so four sets of stoplights total.
- But it also has a crosswalk on all four streets, so I am in charge of them, too.
- And I guess there is a flashing light down by the fire department.
- So if a light is out down there, I would be in charge of that, too.
- It doesn't keep me very busy.
- But, I do have SHA's number programmed on my cell phone so I can report an outage as I see it.
- Before my old mind forgets.
- I'm also in charge of the street lamps.
- Some are reported to our town's electrician.
- Some are reported to our power supplier.
- I had to read pages and pages of our town's contract with our power supplier.
- It put me to sleep every time I picked it up.
- It was a good distraction for me while Joe was out of town.
- It was guaranteed to put me to sleep every time.
- I'm trying to get a youth running group organized in our town.
- I talked to the people in charge of the town's youth program and they are excited about it.
- We're going to discuss it again in the spring.
- Joe is going to take me to buy a new pair of running shoes on Monday.
- I have almost 300 miles on my current pair.
- They sure are comfy.
- But I'm concerned they might be the cause of my frequent knee problems.
- Even though I've had knee problems since I was in a preschooler.
- My knees used to get dislocated for no apparent reason.
- The last major time that happened was while I was in college.
- At the movie theater.
- That was embarrassing.
If you'd like to read other interesting (or not-so-interesting) things about me, you can read my past birthday posts. Here is last year's. And the year before. And the year before that.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Goodies

We hit Roots first, which is an auction/flea market/farmers market all in one. It's really a place you can get lost in. Quite easily. There wasn't a lot of time to go through each vendor carefully, so I used my best Lera-radar to scan the area.
Two of my most treasured finds of the day were the vintage cookbook and the cheater-cloth apron. The cookbook, Cooking by the Garden Calendar, has recipes separated by month. It truly brings home the "eating in the season thereof" theory of eating fruits, veggies, and grains in the season they are harvested. (Never mind my frozen strawberry use for the strawberry butter.)
The other adorable cookbook was actually a reproduction of a vintage cookbook that was given to me by my sister, Kate.


Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Strawberry Butter

Made similarly to the blueberry butter that I made this summer (and subsequently the cherry butter that I made and never blogged), this might be my most favorite one yet. It is seriously good. And since I use apple juice and only a little sugar, it's healthier than most jams.* Right?
One six pound bag of frozen berries yielded 3 1/2 pints. And I'm not sure if that will be enough. But since they are frozen and available throughout the year, I might be able to resist making more. For now.
*I used approximately 2 cups of apple juice and 2 cups of sugar for 6 pounds of strawberries.
Monday, October 05, 2009
We Have Mice!

Last year I bought some black craft foam in hopes of making some rats and mice to decorate our outside steps. And, well, it never happened. This year, it has happened.

Thursday, October 01, 2009
Trying Something New

The air has turned cooler. And this non-coffee drinker was looking for new options. Apparently, so was my mother. A few weeks ago she ran into the store to buy some herb tea and stumbled upon her friend who was buying herb tea. Her friend recommended rooibus (pronounced "roy-boss"). My mother loved it. And then my search to find it was on. I went to five different stores before I found it. And, let me tell you, it was worth the wait. And I'm so happy that I like it, because I bought four boxes.
I always like to try new things, but I am often hesitant to go out of my comfort zone. So, tell me, what new things are you trying?
(And for your laughing pleasure: This morning I threw a tee shirt on after my shower so I could pack lunches. When I went upstairs "to get dressed," I put my bra on over my tee. I seriously do not know what I was thinking, except that I was totally not thinking. And Saturday at soccer Sawyer had to go potty. Even though there are port-a-pots, I told him to go behind a tree near the weeds. A few minutes later he emerged and put his fingers on my chin. I noticed they were wet! I shrieked, "get your fingers off my chin" in my shrill, loud voice. Which gained a lot of unwanted attention. Everyone looked at me as if I were a bad mother. I quietly explained to the people sitting directly next to me that he had just gone to the bathroom and his fingers were wet. That's the life, I tell ya. Pee on my chin.)