hobbies, hobbies

square by chance
Originally uploaded by alter ego.

So.

I've started quilting and sewing. I sort of LOVE it. This is a very, very simple square (totally by accident!) baby quilt I made for a co-worker. Totally inspired by a picture I found on flickr here. Uhm, she is having a girl and has already painted the nursery brown and pink.

And, I finally found my camera cord, which is why blogging has been by the wayside. Well, that and the wedding planning/research/brainstorming.

I figured that not everyone wanted to read about wedding stuff and I wanted to centralize all my thoughts on that topics, so I started a separate site: http://atypicalwedding.wordpress.com/. Come on over if you're interested... or want to give me a reality check. (Hello, can I really hand knit our own lace chuppah...?)

Work has been painfully slow (it either pours or is a drought in my line of work, it seems), so I've had time to think about crafting, read more blogs, sew more (I made a bag!), research wedding stuff and just plain read. (Hey, roro, I'm reading Anne of Green Gables!) I'm loving it - this fall/winter/early spring were pretty dang rough and having things back on an even, positive keel is awesome. Now if only the dreaded endless rain would cease...

I've missed the blogging and hope to be back to share more with you all over the rest of the summer. We're heading to Maine for the 4th of July and I am so excited. Hopefully lobster-y good pictures will be here soon!

Reader Request: A Country Fair Wedding

Reader Request: A Country Fair Wedding
Originally uploaded by finestationery.

Check this out! I keep up with the "inspiration boards" by the Finer Things blog (http://finestationery.blogspot.com/) and made a reader request for ideas about a Country Fair wedding.

I am loving the idea of incorporating blue ribbons....

So. Much. Fun! And so much opportunity for 'research' this summer! Yum.

Details, Details

Starflowers
Originally uploaded by alter ego.

Apparently, 7 months of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" as my ringtone finally wore Sparky down, eh? (And, before you ask, she told me about a year ago "it would be more *traditional* if she proposed" - whatever that means.)

Anyway, now I get to start planning! Hooray! I LOVE this stuff - I was actually a professional event planner for a short while after college.

Right now, we're testing ideas - we want a 'country fair-eque' event - Oh, how I love the Fair and Parades and pig races and funnel cake and carnival rides and blue ribbon awards for the best jam and the 4-H booths and raffle tickets...

Anyway, we'd like outside, kids invited, no giant aisle and NO matching white dresses or veils. While I WISH we could rent out the State Fair of Texas, we cannot. Oh, and we cannot actually get married in Texas, so there goes getting married in (this) bride's hometown.

Anyway, all that said, I do find it just AMAZING that the average wedding costs ~$29k. WTF? That's a down payment on a house! Do you KNOW how much wedding STUFF is out there? It's insane. INSANE.

So, I'm scouring the web and friends and family's (hi, mom!) ideas for creative fair-like "things" that won't break the bank --- things like sack races, pinwheel center pieces and gingham table clothes.

Any ideas out there, please share...?