Coming to You...

Live behind my new laptop!

Woo!

I'm still getting used to it so if you see a bunch of typos, it's cuz this keyboard feels very different from my old one.

I should probably explain what happened to my old laptop. I usually keep it on the floor in front of my recliner. It's usually out of the way. Well, I had borrowed something from a friend and had company over one night and when I tried to step over my laptop (since the borrowed something and my friend was in my way), I stepped on my pantleg and couldn't step wide enough to clear the laptop and I ended up stepping on my laptop instead. That was not a good night. I was unbelievably upset! The screen had cracked and crystals were leaking all over the place. The laptop works but the monitor is pretty jacked up. So if you learn anything from me, don't store your laptop on the floor cuz you might step on it and jack everything up. What a mess! So now, I have a new laptop I have to learn. And no, it's not a Mac. I wish it was! But the $900 I saved by not buying a Mac will go into whatever new car I end up buying. Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices like that. In the end, I know whatever car I buy will last me longer than any laptop so it's best to invest the money there.

When I went to Best Buy Friday night, I wasn't sure what to expect. My old laptop is a Toshiba and I loved it. It would have lasted me at least another year if I hadn't stepped on it like a dumbwit. But all the new Toshibas have 10-keys now which is all fine and dandy is you're an accountant or have an Excel fetish. I had my criteria...no Dells and no Compaqs. I was deciding between an HP and a non 10-key Toshiba. And I bought the HP. Why? Because it's prettier. Navy with a interesting pattern and a cool built-in screensaver with more artistic applications. Yea...I'm a girl. I like quirky and I like interesting. I am hoping that picking HP won't be a mistake. I managed to convince a guy friend to help me set up the new laptop so it saved me from having a fit and my head exploding. Even with him knowing what he was doing, it took almost 3 hours. Left to my own devices, you all would have read about me in the paper. "After many hours, California woman , 35, had conniption fit and caused a melee in an attempt to get her new laptop setup. Casualities yet to be determined." I still have a bit of computer stuff to deal with though which will go into next weekend. I need to make sure all my files from my last two laptops are saved and recycle them plus I am thinking of switching internet providers. AT&T has gotten too expensive and I am thinking of switching my internet to Comcast and my phone service to Vonage. If anyone has any experience with either, I'd love to hear about it.

So the stitching! Here's my progress on Mary Wigham.
I've completed part 3 with that last motif going into a good part of Part 6. I complete 3 large motifs (gold, blue, ivory), 2 small ones (green, pink) and 2 sets of initials. I had a hard time with the gold motif and the blue one. The gold motif was frogged once. Half because the dyelot blended into the fabric too much and half because of counting errors. The blue motif was a pain. There are major symmetry errors in that one and I had to correct them. Plus, it called for blue and black and I changed it to blue and dark blue. I think it looks nicer that way. So far, it may be once of my favorite motifs despite the headaches it gave me. I am now a third of the way done. Woot! I hope the next section is easier than Part 3!

Here's how it looks so far.
Please excuse the wrinkles and the blurriness.

I also started A Wish for You from my AotH series. I think I will do something a little different with the personalization here. Still deciding. But in the meantime, I'm building the house.
I love the little shamrocks. Deep down, beneath all the latin fire, I identify Irish. Dark hair, pale skin, freckles and an affinity for bangers and guinness. Yep, I fit right in. So I am really enjoying this block. I think I will work on it for a couple more nights before I have to set it aside for some secret stitching.

And last but not least, my TUSAL update.
This time Giggles is modeling my TUSAL jar. It's slowly growing. Lots of orts from Mary and AotH.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Obviously most of mine was occupied by laptop buying, set up, visiting the ailing parents and doing lots of laundry. I did go try a new restaurant yesterday though. I read a lot of local food blogs and newsletters. A while back, a southern place opened up in Oakland that I was curious about but in the last couple of months, the same place opened a second location in the city. So Sunday, I trekked over to the nitty gritty Tenderloin to see what this place was all about and encountered a wait about 40 people deep. That isn't uncommon here. San Francisco is full of foodies waiting to try the latest great thing. So Claire and I took a walk and encountered Philz Coffee. Another place familiar to me through my foodie newsletters. What an interesting coffee shop. There is no "house" coffee here. Philz is about brewing individual fresh cups of coffee. There is a menu with about 30 different blends...medium, chocolatey, herbal, spicey, dark. In the end, I picked a turkish blend with cardamon. Cardamon in coffee?! I had to try it and it was good. Different...but good. Fueled with caffeine, we continued our walk and headed back and we were still faced with a wait. That's ok...time to people watch. We saw some very interesting people. I think I saw a guy dressed as a girl in a very short catholic uniform skirt. Shorter than I ever rolled mine up! This place certainly attracted a mishmosh of interesting people. It's what makes San Francisco what it is. When we finally got in, we had a wonderful meal at Brenda's. We split granny apple with caramel butter beignets and I had a hangtown fry (oyster, bacon and scallion scramble) with potato hash and toast. Claire had an andouille sausage omelet with grits and those may have been the best grits I've ever tasted in my life. Mind you, this isn't the place for a diet and you may need a nap after eating here! OMG, with only eating half, I got so tired and drowsy! That's ok though. The leftover beignet was breakfast and the leftover scramble and potatoes was dinner! I think I better go to the gym a couple of times this week to work some of this off!

Well, that's it for me. Time to lay a little more brick on my house. Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Until next time...

Manic Mondays!

Huh...here I am sitting listening to the news and they are talking about an earthquake that hit here this morning. What? Earthquake? Where? When? What time? I didn't feel anything! Then they say it was 3.3. Are you serious?! Me dropping the shampoo bottle is the equivalent of a 3.3 earthquake...no wonder I didn't feel it! I can't believe they think this is news! 5 or higher and that's something to write home about. 6 or higher and ok...you better be in a safe place...that's really strong. When you've lived in earthquake country your whole life, a 3.3 is nothing.

Anyways, that wasn't what I came here to blab about. Monday was a blur. It's almost bedtime and I did enjoyable things but not the one thing I really wanted to do...stitch! Work was crazy busy but I guess that's good because the days go by fast and I don't have the time to think about...stuff. I ran my errands, went for a walk, had the single girl dinner of guac and chips with a pluot dessert and did some crochet homework and I think I've mastered the single crochet stitch. I would like to master even tension but I guess we can't have everything! I won't feel like a bad student in class tomorrow. Whew!

The weekend was nice. I realize that I was supposed to write yesterday and I had all these intentions to post photos of the bike race that takes over my neighborhood each year but NONE of my pictures came out plus each time I walked down to the race, it was when things weren't really happening...like finishing one age group and not quite starting the other or right at the end when the cyclists just weren't at the top of their game. Oh well. It was fun to see. I kept going to the race because it was just too hot to stand around for long periods of time. If I did, I'd turn red and probably sport another 50 freckles! I still don't understand how I turned out being the palest, nicaraguan girl with freckles on the face of the earth.

The rest of the weekend consisted of girlie pampering things and a fun dinner at one of my favorite places in the city...NOPA. Have you ever been at a place where you feel like you come alive? I have this thing about certain restaurants in the city. The crowd + the vibe + the food + the service + fun waiter + chatter with adjacent tables + company. All that comes into play and NOPA never disappoints. It's all so perfect and I am just glowing with happiness. Claire and I have this thing where we go and split a starter, entree, side and dessert and it's perfect for the two of us. We are both low-key and we always want the pork chop. Mmmm....pork! We get coffee with dessert and I get my favorite cocktail (sometimes multiple times!) which isn't even on their menu anymore but they never complain when I ask for it. We know the server because he *always* serves us and he is the nicest guy...and funny. There's great art and if you sit upstairs (where we always do), it's the most primo spot for people watching. I *heart* NOPA! If you ever go...get the pork chop! It never disappoints and is huge! This is a foodie spot and makes my inner glutton super happy! It is so worth eating salad all week to splurge on your diet here. *sigh* I wish I could live there...or date the chef! That would totally mess with my diet though! lol

I've got a Letter C update! I think this is the project that will not die! Er, umm...I mean not end! Yea that's it. The project that will not end! I've been stitching on it forever and I don't think Letter G took this long (I totally wish I can get Letter G back! But lets not go there). But I am getting closer? What do you think? A little more fill-in, finish up wings, stitch the skin and then backstitching and beading. My new deadline is the end of the upcoming weekend. Not sure about that though seeing as I have plans every single night and day through the long weekend with the exception of Thursday night. Busy, busy!
See...I'm getting there! I'm sorry if you're bored with my one project updates. Shoot...I'm kinda bored too! I'm almost done though...it'll get better! lol

Oh and a quick snap of my Trader Joe flower finds...I love these pretty tulips!
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Until next time...

Moving Right Along

I don't have a lot to say but do have progress to share. I completed the October block of my Bent Creek Snappers. Only two more blocks to go and I'll be all done! Woo!
The weekend has been pretty uneventful. Lots of errands trying to get *the boy* ready for his trip on Tuesday. We did go try a new place in the city yesterday. *The boy* was craving pizza and so we went to try Tony's Pizza Napoletana in North Beach. I wasn't really in the mood for pizza but went along for the ride and we had the calamari which was some of the freshest calamari I've had in a long, long while. Tony is famous for his margherita pizza so we went for that and *the boy* was a total piggie and had four slices! For him to eat that much, it has to be good! We also ordered a stromboli to go which ended up being dinner tonight. That was also pretty tasty so this will be a spot to come to later on.

Today was a lazy day. I could barely muster up the energy to go to the grocery store and around 4pm, I got a teaspoon worth of energy to get out of the house and run a couple of errands. I'm hoping I'll be a little more energetic tomorrow otherwise, it will be a long and trying day.

Well, better go...want to put more stitches into my November block! :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Until next time...

Weekend Happenings

What a weekend! Lots and lots of happenings to talk about so hopefully I don't bore anyone. The most fun item on the agenda for the weekend was going to NiaH for a Stitchers by the Bay yahoo get together. I joined the group about two or three months ago but this was the first time that I went to a get together or met anyone from the group. I was a total newbie and the funny thing is that I am the third *Valerie* in the group! It's been a long time since I've been in the same room with another Valerie...let alone two others! I think a fun time was had by all and I got to meet Lisa and Natasha there too! I was on hyper overload. It had been over two months since my last visit to the shop and I was a shopping fiend, not to mention meeting lots of new people, hearing funny stories and seeing loads of beautiful work and finishing! It was just such an amazing day! I had such fun and despite my crazy shopping, I didn't buy out the store. Maybe next time though! I had to put my Mary Wigham fabric on order so I will be making another trip shortly. Oh, can't wait!

On Sunday, I heard from Anna who was my exchange partner for the HoE Christmas in July exchange that I was so tardy on. I cannot believe it arrived in Norway in only one week! One week...can you believe it?! Norway is really far! I received a sweet email from Anna saying she loved everything I sent her. I was so happy! I stitched her up a cute Santa ornie and a floss tag. Below is the front side:

Prairie Schooler Santa Ornament
Gift of Stitching e-Magazine
32 count Antique Ivory Belfast w/Recommended DMC
Finish: pillow ornament w/green Mill Hill glass beads

Floss Tag
Motif taken from Peppermint Twist - Blue Ribbon Designs
32 count Antique Ivory Belfast w/Recommended WDW

And here is the back of the ornie and floss tag:
And here is everything I included in the package. I was happy to find some California natural lemon drops at my local neighborhood candy shop for Anna as she said lemon is her favorite flavor! I also included ribbon, needles, backing fabric, threads and a couple of small charts. So happy she liked everything. As a funny sidenote to my exchange, my friend Claire and *the boy* both saw me working on the floss tag. They would look at the tag, look at me and be all skeptical. I had to explain that I wasn't rudely calling dear Anna a ho(e) but that the abbreviation for Hooked on Exchanging was HoE and we all referred to it as that. They didn't really buy the explanation and I was hoping Anna wouldn't get offended but she seemed to like both pieces.

Other cool weekend stuff.

I reached my goal on Sunday of having the border up to September all done. I am all caught up! Yay! Here's how it looks so far. It's hard getting a decent picture of it since it's so long!

Here's my attempt at an artistic shot. I really love those July birdies! This was taken before I finished off the border...as you can tell. I think I will keep on keeping on with the Snappers for the week. I really like the October block and seem to be on a roll. It will be nice to work with other autumnal colors...you know...other than the blasted green!

And the perfect ending to a great weekend? On Sundays, we, me and *the boy*, like having a low-key dinner at home. He cooks and I get to stitch. I had asked him last week if he could make bread salad. He says bread stuffing...I say bread salad. We go back and forth. He doesn't get it so I say, "bread salad like they make with the roast chicken at Zuni!" And then he understood. Zuni makes awesome bread salad and roasted chicken...it is very, very good as well as very expensive. I had the wonderful chance at trying it with AM last year and she blogged about it here. Now that I am dating this total foodie, "I went to culinary school" boyfriend, I like challenging him once in a while. He tells me I have to eat better and stop laying off the popcorn. So this was my attempt at eating healthier.
And here is it. Bread salad and roasted chicken a la Zuni. It was pretty yum...crispy skin, tender meat, soaked bread with crispy outsides, toasted pinenuts, sweet currants and the bitter kick from the arugala. It was pretty spot on and I'm not just saying that. Mr. I Went to Culinary School sometimes has disasters and I end up eating popcorn. I wish there was more bread salad!! Wow, it was really good.

And that was the end to a great weekend! I hope everyone had a great weekend too.

Until next time...

Vacation - Day Three

The plan for Day three was to eat everything that was bad for you but tasted oh so good. There were a few places in the city that I've been dying to try for some time now. So the eating smorgasbord menu was pizza, ice cream and donuts.

A little after noon, we headed into the city for pizza at Pizzeria Delfina. I dropped *the boy* off and headed to park. At my first turn around the block, *the boy* flags me down to tell me that there are 10 people ahead of us on the list and he wanted to leave. He is the most impatient person ever! Doesn't he know that you have to wait for the good things? I sent him back to the line and found parking. No matter what time of day you get to this little spot, there is always a huge crowd of people waiting for a tabe. The place is tiny!!...and totally worth the wait. We were seated at a wonderful sidewalk table and we people watched and chitchatted until out sand dabs came out. They were yum! Then we had our sausage pizza which was super yum! I found I didn't like the pieces that were a little burnt on the bottom (not all were) and so *the boy* ae those. It was a yummy pizza and we ate every bite! We also ordered the stuffed shells with ricotta, anchovy and broccoli rabe to save for dinner. We were so stuffed with the pizza that we didn't eat those shells until very late! We both enjoyed them except for the broccoli rabe. Definitely have to go back to try more things on their menu. We were both bummed that they day we went, they didn't have squash blossoms so perheps on another day!

Next...ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery just down the block. This place has gotten so many write-ups that I had to go try. *The boy* had cookies and cream with hot fudge. OMG...their fudge is *so* good and for not being the biggest cookies and cream fan, I secretly wish I had ordered that too! I had the salted caramel and toasted coconut. Both really good. Next time...oh yes, there will be a next time...I am getting the almond joy sundae. Toasted coconut ice cream with hot fudge, toasted almonds and whipped cream. Is your mouth watering too?!

And finally...donuts. We were going to buy a couple to save for breakfast the following day since we were pretty stuffed and sleepy at that point. Dynamo Donuts has been talked about all over foodie blogland! We obviously waited too late in the day to score any donuts. The staff wasn't very polite when I walked up and I asked where the donuts were to only be told they had sold out. *sigh*

Probably just as well considering the fried sand dabs, pizza and ice cream. OMG...I can feel the pounds creeping up! haha

*The boy* and I were content and headed home....he took a nap and I intently and determinedly sat down and finished my exchange like a good girl...finally. That's ready to be mailed out now! Whew...so relieved. I just hope my partner likes what I made for her.

And that made for a very full day.

Agenda for Day Four....laundry and fireworks. Yep..I'm loaded with excitement! :)

Until next time...