5 Things I Like About Winter

I am very happy that we turn the calendar to March tomorrow. We’re just a month away from spring bulbs blooming and Easter candy eating! Can’t we just skip March?

While we enjoy at least another few weeks of winter (and snow tonight!?!) I will try to focus on some of the fun things about winter, many of which I have mentioned in this blog in the last few months:

1. Moccasins: These have been the highlight of my winter. I channeled my inner forty year old and bought a pair of camel suede mocs on Lands’ End in December. They are so comfortable and warm! I think I am sold for life. I am tempted to buy a pastel color for spring. Who needs Uggs?

2. Good movies: As I mentioned, Steve and I saw several of the Oscar-nominated movies this winter. It was fun to settle into a movie theater, munch on popcorn and Milk Duds, and watch a great flick. While I am a bit tired of movie going now, I am really excited to see the new Harry Potter movie this summer!

3. Snow days: If it does snow tomorrow, it will be a perfect snow day. No work, no school, not commitments. Just a day to stay inside, play games, and watch junk TV. We haven’t had a good one yet this winter.

4. Projects: I am not sure if I am more or less productive in the winter, but I do love going to the fabric store and visualizing big projects. I am putting the finishing touches on my summer quilt now, pics to come!

5. Football: I already miss football on Saturday nights and Sundays, though I have to admit I am very excited for baseball to begin and am glad to have a break from full days of football. But the NFL playoffs help me get through January and I notice the immediate void when the season ends.

I am having a bit of trouble with this list because I have been rather negative about winter lately. I am sick of dry skin, short days, cold wind, leafless trees, scarves and mittens, and salty roads. But the NCAA tourney is not far away, so I guess I’ll have another sporting event to help me through some more blustery weekends!

Oscar Night!

Steve and I are very excited that Oscar night is here! We’ve seen several nominated movies and are ready to see who wins. I thought this year had many outstanding movies and the ones I didn’t get to see in the theater I hope to see on DVD soon.

Steve and I ended up seeing each movie at a different movie theater in our area, which was a fun, if random, circumstance. We saw: Doubt, Revolutionary Road, The Wrestler, Frost/Nixon, and Milk. All had good qualities but Doubt, Frost/Nixon, and Milk were my favorites.

Summer Quilt

For some reason, I am very motivated right now. I worked my way through piecing my summer quilt and am in love with it! As you can see, the cats are already excited about it too.

I plan to tie the quilt in part because of the time it would take to quilt and also because I want this to be a more casual bedspread. I hope it makes it a few seasons on our bed and then ends up being utilized at picnics and our fourth of July celebrations!

I am feeling much more productive than earlier this week. I just needed some time with my fabric!

Amy Butler’s Kimono

Amy Butler's Kimono

At the beginning of the week, I mentioned that I hoped to finish some of my sewing projects this week. Though I didn’t really start acting on that comment until late in the week, I worked the midnight oil Thursday to finish my Amy Butler Kimono (from In Stitches), made with her Daisy Chain fabric.

I had a little trouble toward the end of the project because of I was probably too tired to be working on it, but I finalized the hem this morning.

I love this project and hope to make it again in some variation. I followed several bloggers’ advice and made the kimono shorter to better fit my personal style.

I can’t wait to spend the next upteenth Saturdays wrapped in this garment. It’s a fashionable way to relax!

Sunny Days Aren’t Far Away . . .

To keep myself motivated despite the feeling that winter is everlasting, I decided to start my summer vacation planning in full force this week. I am excited for the summer because we are planning trips to Minneapolis and Las Vegas and attending a friend’s wedding. Best of all, I’ll be finished with graduate school(!).

It’s so fun to fantasize about warmer weather, summer hours at work, and a schedule that does not involve homework. And, I can’t wait to start planning this year’s garden!

Finishing Touches

I realize I am doing something that I hate to do with hobbies. I’ve started too many projects and have not put the time in to finish them! This is one of my bad habits, and I am determined to break it. A few years ago I started cracking down on myself when reading multiple books. Now I try to only read one book at a time, and it has erased a lot of anxiety from my life.

Therefore, I am forcing myself to finish my half-completed projects before I start any new ones. It’s good I took today off from work, so I can start checking off many of these projects. Now if only I were so motivated to complete my stat homework . . .

Happy Birthday Teve!

Yesterday, Steve celebrated his birthday along with Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, and my grandfather. We had a fun day celebrating, starting the morning with a present opening and finishing it at the Flyers game downtown. If only I did not have to go to work today!

Steve’s birthday is always fun because Valentine’s Day is only two days away from his day, so we’re always in a very celebratory mood. I can’t wait for tomorrow when we celebrate Valentine’s Day with a few movies and bites to eat!

The Ithaca Scarf

I am trying to work my way through my giant yarn stash and, given that I haven’t exactly been knitting/crocheting for the last few years, it’s gotten pretty big.

To relax last night, I decided to conceive an idea for a project that would use up some of the botique yarn I bought when I lived in Ithaca (which was, at least, four or five years ago). Therefore, the Ithaca Scarf was born.

I am finding myself a bit obsessed with ruffles, and I hope that I wear this in the near future. I think it would look great with a cardigan that needs a bulkier accessory. Plus, the mohair ruffle feels very nice on the skin!

Vintage Glassware

I am feeling a bit more calm, cool, and collected after finishing all of the work for my one-credit financial reporting class. The good news is that I can enjoy my Sunday without any more homework.

Because of my nuts schedule as of late, I have been zapped of my creative posting juices. Therefore, I am almost a week late in posting pictures of the new (but vintage) glassware I received last Monday from my grandmother in Portland, Ore.

I love this set of crystal glassware because it is around one-hundred years old but still looks very contemporary. The set included all sorts of small glasses, and I’ll have to research the official names of each glass (I don’t think mint-julippy-kinda glass is the accurate name of one of them, although I’ve been referring to it that way.)

I particuarly covet this gift from my grandmother because I never expected to get many family heirlooms when I decided to settle on the East Coast after college. Although it is a bit impractical to send a giant box filled with crystal or even a rocking chair (which I received a few years ago) these family hand-me-downs are very special to me.

I have to thank my mom for making the effort to ship these items over to PA.

I Heart Valentine’s Day

I know we’ve stilll got a week until Valentine’s Day, but I wanted to post this pic of my Valentine’s Day decorations.

Now I need to go buy myself a bag of conversation hearts and watch a cheesy romantic comedy. That’ll be how I beat these winter blahs!

The good news is that I am almost home free on several school projects, so I’ll have some time to myself tonight and tomorrow.