Home alone with the doggies and kitty

Gideon, Me, Eliza

Hubby is working tonight so I'm home with two mischievous dogs and one extremely patient cat.   I get accused of not spending enough time with the doggies which is in reality not just an accusation but a fact.  There are some days when I come home and I don't want to deal with our dog children.  My sweet hubby always fills in on those days.  This makes me wonder how I will be when we have children.  Will I have these days?  If or when I do have them, what will I do? I'm sure it will be different with kids.  I think or at least I hope.

Ok, as you can tell everything has me thinking about children nowadays.  So let me get back to the pets.  

I got home from work today and I was so tempted to be a sluggard but I remembered something my pastor said at church last week and popped out of bed.  I'm sure the dogs would be grateful for his message because I would be still laying in bed.  I'll try to remember to thank my pastor on behalf of my dogs this coming Sunday. 

Before I go any further, I must say that I make reference to the dogs a lot which shows my bias.  I do have a slight preference for our doggies over the cat.  I love kitty too but it's different.   I know I should love all my animal children the same but I don't.

Anyway, when I got the dogs from the backyard they were so happy to see me that they could not control themselves.  We played outside to get off some of that energy then I rinsed off their paws and brought them inside.  They stuck close to me the entire time.  While I was washing the dishes Gideon kept leaning on me.  Eliza was so close to my feet that she was almost sitting on them.  They are so sweet--I love them.  Both dogs give the best "puppy dog face."  They did try to gnaw on Sampson a few times but I had to remind them that he's their brother too.

Sampson seems deep in thought, possibly trying to plan his escape

Eliza does continue to be selfish with the toys and sometimes with the food.  Gideon continues to (play) fight her for my attention or my hand for that matter.  Sampson puts up with them but when he loses his patience (which does NOT happen often) he climbs to the highest point in the house and stays there.  That way he wont be bothered by humans or his dog siblings.  Overall they have all been getting along fairly well lately.

Although hubby was not home with us to enjoy the family time, it was still great.  It was fun to see Gideon and Eliza staring at me while I did my workout video.  They also looked so confused or maybe curious while I was listening to music and breaking it down in the living room.  Life is good!

My husband says I speak most of my patois to the dogs and I believe him.  Tonight, whenever they tried to get in the couch I spoke all patois.  You would have thought you were in Jamaica if you were listening outside my door.  I do this every time I scold them.   I wonder if I will speak patois when I'm disciplining my kids in the future.

So I'm curious about what you guys do.  Do you discipline your kids in another (?native) language or accent?  Do you find yourself resorting back to your native tongue whenever you are upset, tired, or nervous?  I do!

Mrs. K

Happy 50th to me!

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No, I'm not celebrating my 50th birthday. Not yet at least, that will be in 22 years.  I'm celebrating my 50th follower!!! I am very thankful to all the followers of my blog. When I first started in August 2010 I was my only follower for a few days, then my second follower was a very close cousin.  It stayed that way for a while then it took off.  I'm grateful.  Although when I first started out I've said that it didn't matter how many followers I have, it does feel good to know that there are people out there willing to read my thoughts and leave their opinions.

In addition to enjoying writing, I do enjoy the dialogue with the other ladies and gentleman.  I also love reading other people's blogs.  It's hard to believe that about this time last year I did not even know what a blog was.  I've met some really talented ladies (even "behind the scenes").

Oh yeah, I also want to thank my wonderful husband.  When I first started blogging he asked me how many followers I anticipated that I would have.  I told him that it would be great to have 50 followers by the end of the year.  He started telling random folks to join my blog--but none of them did.  LOL.  That's alright, he tried and I appreciate him.

Anyway, I look forward to sharing many more posts with you all.  Even more, I look forward to your comments and opinions.  Please feel free to come over whenever.  The doors are open 24 hours.  I will even leave the lights on at night for you :)

Mrs. K

Wanted

As I was running at my neighborhood park about 2 days ago I thought about a few things.  First of all, I will say that I was not running because someone was chasing me.  I was running for several reasons leisure, exercise, to clear my thoughts, for relaxation.  You see, I love running (always did).  Based on my body habitus one would expect me to be able to run miles, but that's not the case (thanks to a big nuisance I call asthma).  I've always ran solo but recently I've thought about how nice it would be to have a running partner.  My husband is out of the question because he hates running.  Then this ad came to my mind.

WANTED

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Young enthusiastic 20-something female runner 

Seeking fellow female running mate in MS

Must love long runs in the park 

Moderate pace preferred of course

No more than 5 miles for now

Must not be bothered freaked out by heavy breathing while running

Must have back up asthma pump handy (since I sometimes forget mine)

Kidding!

Must run, can't walk (not even power walk)

Evening running preferred

Call Mrs. K at 555-5555 if interested!

By the way, I'm an Aries

I saw a potential running buddy at the park.  She was probably 15-20 years older than me.  She appeared athletic and I thought she would be a great candidate.  But...she blew me out of the water.  Completely left me in the dust.  So much for that.

Actually I'm not so sure I want/need a running partner.  I guess it's more just someone to tell me to take that first step--to tell me to get some shorts on then drag me out of the house.  More like a daily running accountability partner.

Mrs. K

Halloween: past, present and future

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Ok, so I'm 28 years old (almost 29) and I've never dressed up for Halloween.   This is somewhat of a big deal for me because this is the last year without kids that I will be able to dress up.  Meaning--no sexy Halloween costumes after this year.  Ok, I'm kidding.  I'm not sure why it was relevant for me to mention anything about children in this post.  I guess they have been on my mind more lately.


Anyway, Halloween is one of the first holidays of this season and everyone is talking about costumes, etc and I can't help but get excited.  At my job, my department is having an after-hours Halloween party where all attendants must wear a Halloween costume.  I have contemplated not going but I love parties and other social events so that's not an option.  I've also thought about being oppositional and just not wearing a costume (you know, show up as myself).  Then, I thought about what a great opportunity it would be for me to get dressed up "for real this time."


I say for real this time because I have a story to share.  Of course, it's embarrassing.  I seem to have a habit of sharing my embarrassing stories and confessions with you.  I guess I like torture.  So here it goes.

Each year there was a Halloween dance for 8th graders when I was in middle school.  That is if you had a costume.  So if you were wearing a costume you could skip classes all day (legally), go around to other classes to talk about your costume, and then go to the dance later.  All this was during school hours.  Of course I did not want to miss out.  There was one problem--my family!  We had never dressed up before and since they thought Halloween was "an evil"  holiday it made no sense to even ask about getting a costume for school.

So this is what I did.  I went to school on the day of the dance dressed in regular clothing but brought "my costume" in my book bag.  When I say costume, I mean a dress that I wore to a family friend's wedding 2 years before.  LOL.  I actually can't stop laughing as I'm writing this. 

When I got to school I changed into the dress.  It was a peach above-the-knee length dress with lots of frills.  I also put on my white shoes and white stockings.  I know, I can't even remember what I was thinking.  As crazy as this sounds, it got me into all the festivities which was exactly what I wanted.  I can't remember if I was embarrassed or not.  I do remember feeling a bit weird when we went around to the other classes and I had to tell what my costume was.  

The only thing I could think of was Cinderella (although I totally was not dressed like her--pre or post fairy godmother).  Now that I think about it, I should have said Tinkerbell especially given the length of my dress.  Anyway, I was the black Cinderella in a short dress for that day.  And the dance was a lot of fun--I don't regret it one bit!

I was reminded of this story as I contemplate whether to wear a costume or not.  I will let you know what I decide about that party and my real costume.  I'm sort of cheap (when it comes to certain things--especially one-use stuff) so I'm sure I won't buy anything.  Those sewing skills could really come in handy right now.  Too bad I don't have any yet :)


Mrs. K

Sew and sew...

That is how my new hobby is going.  If you remember, I bought a vintage sewing machine to practice sewing on.  I can hand sew but I have never used a sewing machine before and I did not realize how difficult it would be.  I bought a vintage one because 1) it was cheap and 2) I thought that if I learned how to sew on it, I could sew on anything.  Now I'm reconsidering my second thought because this thing is so complicated.

I have spent hours trying to figure out the technical details and workings of it.  I finally know most of the parts and what they do (except for the presser bar--I still can't figure out what it's for).  I've searched hundreds of sewing sites/blogs trying to piece information together. 

Remember this (labels and all)

So far I've set up the regular thread, the bobbin thread (which I actually did not know existed before my adventure), and the needle.  I think I know how to adjust the tension on both threads but I don't know: when to adjust tension? what tension is good and what isn't? or if the tension is the reason why I'm having such difficulty? 

Being very type A personality, one would not even fathom how much time I have spent on this but still have not sewn a stitch.  It's not like I didn't try.  I've just failed miserably.  And I am determined not to give up!  As the days go by I see my dream of sewing my (future) babies' clothes fading away. 

I said it was going so-so but it's actually been pretty bad.  After setting up everything I try to sew but the machine gets jammed, no stitch is shown despite pressing the foot pedal, or the bobbin thread (the underside) looks like a big ball of mess.  Grrrgh!

I have decided to ask for help--with a little nudge from my husband.  We plan to visit Florida in a few weeks so I will take that heavy thing with me so that my husband's sister (who is good at everything--really she is) can give me some direction.  I feel like I'm so close to getting it but then I don't actually get it.  I guess I just have to give in and get help.  I was trying to teach myself but if I want to alter that dress (see older post) by late spring, I will need some help soon.

So anyway, I will keep you posted.  Don't worry I've never been a quitter so I will learn how to sew using a sewing machine even if it's the last thing I do on this Earth.  I know, intense right?

Mrs. K

Weekend Review: Look Who's Enjoying Fall

Unless you know me personally, you probably don't know which state I live in.  That was deliberate.  Although I've revealed a lot about myself through blogging there is plenty more to tell.  I think when I first started blogging I didn't disclose where I live for several reasons. 

The main reason is that I'm paranoid (sometimes) and fear that in this very public blogging world someone will try to stalk me.  Yah, I know it sounds crazy.  Come on, I know I'm not the only one who has had these initial thoughts when first starting blogging, right?  Anyway, another reason I did not say which state I live in is because I did not want to be judged based on where I live.  I know it sounds silly but I will explain.

For the past 2 years I have been living in Mississippi for school/work.  I will be honest and say that my feelings about Mississippi before knowing that I was going to move here was pretty neutral.  I really didn't know too much about the state.  All I knew was that it's a part of the South.  Shortly after announcing that I was going to be temporarily moving here, my friends and family had a lot of concerns and associates had a lot of jokes (negative ones of course).

I tried to understand.  People told me about that old movie (Mississippi Burning) that depicted Mississippi in a negative way.  (Whisper: I still have not seen the movie yet)I have learned that Mississippi is ranked number 1 in teen pregnancy, obesity and poverty.  There is such negative views about Mississippi that when you are leaving the Jackson airport there is even a sign about people being able to read.  

After living here I must say that I think it's a great place.  Now, we don't have children so I cannot comment about the schools.  However we have met some awesome people here that we hope to keep in touch with even when we move (Summer 2011).  We love our church.  There are a lot of great restaurants.  Oh yeah there's one Jamaican restaurant here but it's only open 8-5 M-F when I'm working (so sad).  My husband and I complain that there isn't a lot to do but we have discovered that there are things to do but you just have to go looking for them (a somewhat difficult task for us with our work schedule).  But we try!

Ok, I know this was supposed to be a weekend recap but I'm tangential as you can see.  So,  I said all of the above to talk about my weekend events (particularly on Saturday).  

My husband and I were talking about weekend plans on Friday night.  It is rare that we have the entire weekend off together.  I suggested that we drive the Natchez Trace Parkway.  This was something that was suggested to me a while back by some lovely locals but we never did it.  At first we were going to take our dogs with us but decided not to.  Instead we brought friends (another great couple that we met here in MS).  Since it was my idea my husband told me to get some plans together.  Here is how our Saturday went:

Drove the scenic Natchez Trace:

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Still on the Trace (stopped to check out the beautiful scenery and take pics)

Unsuccessful attempt to climb a tree.  I didn't attempt because I was wearing the wrong shoes.  It was not very smart of me to wear dress shoes on such a trip.  I also never check the weather so I was too warm in the outfit I had on. Ha!

Visited an old plantation built in the 1800s which apparently was considered luxurious then

I know that you can hardly see my face but I love this photo (the field and that fence)

Arrived in Natchez, MS and stopped to get some grub:

Great little place to eat and we all enjoyed our meals.  They are apparently all organic.  The owner was so sweet (with her little southern accent).  They also sell their spices and other products online so you can check them out if you're interested.

Watch the Natchez Balloon Race:

The Mississippi River Pre-Balloon Race

I will try to explain the race.  Each balloon is to try to get as close to the barge as possible (of course without hitting it).  Once close enough someone in the balloon is to toss a rope that hopefully will land on or close to a target area on the barge.  According to the locals each competitor has the chance to win a lot of money or even large items such as cars.  Isn't that neat?  This was the first one to attempt.

Isn't it pretty?  I kept wishing I could be in one of the balloons.

One of my favorites.  Very patriotic.  It was even more amazing when it was up close and right before my eyes.   Whenever the bright flames would burst out the base, it sounded like the noise that the whales make when breathing through their blowholes.  I thought for a split second that there were whales in the water below but was reminded that it was the Mississippi River and not the Mississippi sea.  What can I say, I've got blond roots at times :)

My husband's least favorite, as he pointed out ("why is it so small?"). LOL

My final balloon pic.  We got tired and decided to head home.  We don't know who won but we didn't mind, we still had a great time!

Enjoying the festivities!

Hope you enjoyed a little taste of our weekend and some of what MS has to offer.  Overall, it was a great Saturday.  Today we went to church (as usual).  We then took the dogs in the woods and played hide and seek with them.  It was so much fun.  Oh yeah, we also took them to Petsmart to socialize them.  Thankfully they are good with other dogs and people.  For dinner my hubby will make the meat (jerk ahi tuna--with a pink center of course) and I will make the sides (edamame and spinach).  Yum!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

Mrs. K

Day saved by one fine man and some yummy popcorn

Yesterday started off somewhat rough but ended pretty well.  So let me start from the beginning.  I have to take this yearly exam every October for training/work.  I have known about this exam since forever because I have taken it every October (for the past 3 years).  Although it's in my field each year, the questions are different. 

Each year I take it I vow that I will study extremely hard for it the next year.  I usually walk out of the test saying "wow, that wasn't so bad.  If had studied I would have done great."  Let me just say that this is not a test that you just study the night before for.  It would take months of preparation.  Needless to say, being the procrastinator that I am I don't prepare in advance.  It's difficult for me to prepare for something that seems soooo far away!

Anyway, I woke up early the morning of the test and tried to cram some facts in my brain.  I "overstudied" (meaning I wasn't paying attention to the time and was almost late for the test).  That would not have been good.  I took the first part, had a break, then took the second part.  Wait, I failed to mention is that I got a visit from mother nature during the first part of the test (which really sucked) and I was cramping so much during the second part.

When the test was over I could hardly wait to get home to see my honey.  All I could think about was getting home and giving him a big hug.  It's so good to have a way to de-stress after a  challenging day.  On my way home by husband text me to not stop to look around the house when I got home.  He told me to go straight upstairs.  I figure he had something up his sleeve but I didn't know what it was.

He arrived home and I was so happy to see him.  When I got downstairs he showed me a huge can of popcorn.  I got even happier.  This was not just any popcorn.  This was gourmet popcorn from Garrett's in Chicago.  It is so good.  We visited Chicago for the first time for a friend's wedding this past May and we overindulged in the popcorn.  I don't even like popcorn that much but this is not your regular popcorn.  We loved it so much we even brought some back  (2 large bags) on the airplane with us.

I have been meaning to have my friend send us some and I drool every time I visit Garrett's website.  I never got around to asking her (of course not, I'm a procrastinator and I'm forgetful).  And I never ordered from their website because it's expensive including shipping.  I remember my honey asking me a few weeks ago what I thought about him wasting $61 on something.  I told him that it was fine especially since both of us work our butt's off.  At the time I didn't know what he was buying.

I am so glad he got that popcorn.  After a challenging day I had my favorite man and my favorite popcorn.   What a great ending!

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Mrs. K

Confession: I'm not a fan of fall

 I hear everyone around me chirping in excitement because it's fall. They are looking forward to the holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I must admit that I'm a bit jealous because I don't share the same sentiment.

Now don't get me wrong. I love the fall foliage. And I don't mind wearing fall and winter clothing (especially the scarves and boots). I also love sipping on hot chocolate, chai latte or caramel apple cider (with extra whipped cream on top).



Great Smoky Mountains 2009



Right now, I can't think about too much more that I like about this season. I don't like being cold and no matter how many layers I wear I can't get warm.  I've noticed that I'm less productive during these months.  The days are shorter which makes me feel like I don't have enough hours to do "stuff." 

I've noticed these feelings for a while now but kept them private because I didn't want to "pop anyone's bubble" around me. I mean I don't get depressed but I'm definitely not as chipper as I usually am in the spring or summer. I tend to start perking up after the holidays and the new year.

I wish I could just get under a nice warm blanket and hibernate until the first week of January. Of course I would like to take a nice warm cup of hot chocolate with me under the blanket with extra whipped cream (and have access to unlimited refills).  But, I can't so I've decided to make the best of it. I will join in the festivities while yearning for spring in my heart.

How about you?  What kind of mood does this time of year put you in?  If it's good, send some of it my way, please!  What time of year are you at your best?  What are you looking forward to most this fall/winter?  How do you stay productive when it's so cold that you can barely move?  Ok, so I live in the South so it doesn't get that cold for the average person but I'm not normal--below 78 degrees F is getting too cool for me!

Today, I'm linking my post to Ms. Baby Plan's Thoughtful Wednesdays.  Although my post is not necessarily thoughtful, these are my thoughts :)

Mrs. K

More Blog Awards...Yay

This week I have received 3 blog awards: The Versatile Blogger, the Stylish Blogger Award, and the One Lovely Blog Award (which I also received not too long ago from Ms. Baby Plan).  I feel so honored and I am very appreciative of Tye from  Diary of Chic Mommy.  Tye is a beautiful military wife and mother of two whose blog mainly focuses on beauty and fashion.  Check her out, she's got some neat info on her blog.  She describes herself as "energetic, outgoing and charismatic" which emanates through her blog.

Here are the logos for the awards:

Now for the rules for winning these awards

• Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
• Share 7 things about yourself.
• Pass the award along to 15 other bloggers who you recently discovered and you think are fabulous.
• Contact the bloggers you chose and let them know about the award.

Seven Things About Me: (Check out my "about me" section where you'll find some more)

1) I'm married to my best friend--one very sweet and good looking man.

2) I'm a Christian and proud!

3) No children at present but I want 4 and hubby wants 6 (but I don't know about all that) :)

4) I find humor in everything (or try to).  Sometimes this gets me in trouble as you can imagine

5) I love my job but I don't like it on Thursdays.  Check out my "Dear Thursday" label.

6) I have an awesome extended family on my side and my husband's side so our future children will be blessed with all the love and support.

7) I'm a type A personality and a hard working person but I'm definitely not cut throat.  I don't think I need to be.  My work speaks for itself without me having to cut someone else down to move ahead.

15 Other Bloggers who I think are really neat and deserves the Stylish Blogger Award):
Tea and Honey Bread 

A Mama With Flavor

P.E.A.C.E 

Creole Wisdom 

I Am Mama 

Life.Love&Marriage 

Fashion, Art and Other Fancies 

Ms Baby Plan 

Execumama 

Making Mrs Mauritz 

Tipa Tipa 

A-musing 

Baby Making Machine 

The Prissy Mommy Chronicles 

Introducing Misses Pancakes 

15 Other Bloggers who I think are really neat and deserves the Versatile Blogger Award):
The Daily Life of Me

Real Talk

What I Did Today

Happy Nappy Bride 

Don't Get Excited...It's Just Me

Quiskaeya

Green Beans and Little Things

Redbabe's Cozy Corner

Marlie and Me

Being Mrs Jones

Motivation Mama Drama

Life, After the Aisle

Just Another Day with MrsTDJ

The RedHead Riter

My Brown Baby

I've already given the One Lovely Blog Award away a few weeks ago.

I think that was 15 each.  Woo--that was tiring BUT fun!  I'll contact the above mentioned ladies soon to let them know about their distinguished awards. LOL.  Thanks again to Tye for the awards!

Mrs. K

So what if the Florida Gators lost to Alabama.

I've mentioned in a previous post that I'm a big college football fan.  I cheer for the Florida Gators (my alma mater) even when we are losing.  Alabama whooped our tail last weekend but I'm remaining hopeful. And I still stand proud--to be a Florida Gator.  

IT'S GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR. YES, IT'S GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR (I'm singing this while doing the famous Gator chomp).

I'm hoping that we can still go to the SEC championship since our chances of going to the BCS championship is nil.  We play LSU today and I hope we kick their butt.  They almost lost to Tennessee but now they are ranked higher than us.  Boo!

Anyway, I want Coach Meyer to switch things up a little bit for the LSU game.  Brantley has a lot of talent but I don't think we will see it too much this year because our offensive line needs a lot of work.  I hope Coach Meyer puts Burton in more because he seems more versatile.  I guess I'll just have to wait too see what happens.

Ben Hill Griffin (Gator) Stadium aka The Swamp: I took my younger siblings here this past summer.   I attempted (but failed) to unbiasedly have them check out some of the Florida colleges since they are soon approaching time to make their choices of universities they will attend.

For me, one of the best things about fall is college football!

Mrs. K

Shhh....Come closer I gotta tell you a secret.

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First you have to promise you wont tell a sole.  Do you promise?  Pinky swear? Ok then, I'll tell you.  Come closer I have to whisper. 

So here it is.  I have a wicked sweet tooth.  Yes, it is so ridiculous.  This is nothing new of course.  I've been this way since forever.  I'm writing about this because last night I was reminded of this.  I'm actually cracking up as I write about how ridiculous it is.

Alright, so my husband and I went to the gym last night.  After getting back I had the biggest sweets craving I've had in a long time.  Knowing that I love sweets and I have absolutely no self control I never buy sweets or junk food.  If you visit our home we almost never have any cookies, chips, ice cream, etc. 

I started rummaging through the cabinets and refrigerator hoping and praying I would find something sweet but came up with nothing.  I was so disappointed but too lazy to go back out to get something.  I had to do something to satisfy my craving or I thought I was going to die, yes die!

This is what I did.  I'm so ashamed to say it but I have to confess.  While searching through the cabinets I came across can of sweet condensed milk.  I opened the can and you would never guess what I did next.  I got two slices of wheat bread (the only thing I could find) and spread some condensed milk on each slice like butter.  

I could not eat the first slice fast enough.  It was so good but by the time I got to the second slice reality hit me and I was like "what the heck am I eating?"  I started cracking up then proceeded to finish the second slice.  As crazy at it seemed I got the sugar fix I was looking for.  

I slept so well last night thanks to a can of condensed milk and two slices of wheat bread.

Mrs. K

10 Years Ago Today

Ten years ago my husband and I officially started dating.   We met a few days before and decided to spend the rest of our lives together.  So much for becoming good friends first before dating.  We were both young and in our freshman year of college. 

I remember going off to college and being very serious about changing the world.  My family drilled it in my head since forever that the way to do this was through education.  When I got to the University of Florida I was determined to be buried in my books and to not have a boyfriend.  I thought this would be an easy task since I never had a boyfriend before. Boy was I was fooled.

I met this wonderful country boy with ocean blue eyes, looks to kill and charm that was even more dangerous.  I fell in love and I'm still in love with this man.

Everything is etched in my memory so clearly.  Those were the good old days but now the days are even better.  I look forward to 10 more years, no actually an infinite number of years.

Thankfully I have been able to stay on track (fulfilling my career dreams) while sharing life on this earth with my best friend.

Here are some photos to guide you down memory lane.  Some of them are poor quality because I had to take a picture of the older ones with my digital camera.  I was too lazy to scan the pre-digital camera ones.

Two pix from freshman year in college as boyfriend/girlfriend.  We were all dressed up to go out.

The top right pic is of him showing me how to take a booty pic my freshman year (outside my dorm).

Bottom left pic is me in my apartment (which I shared with 3 roomies) 2nd year of college.

He gave me my first dog in college.  Well it was my first real pet outside of goldfish and koi.

Our first ski trip together in 2005 (somewhere in Indiana).

Mrs. K

This weekend

This...

Dress that I got that was too big for me from a consignment store.  I liked it and I couldn't leave it (especially for the cost).  Hopefully it will be ready by my husband's early summer graduation.  Well, I know it will be ready by then.  I just hope that I'm the one doing the alterations.

Inspired me to get this...

Kingston Precision Vintage Sewing Machine--it was barely over $20 but I thought it would be a good one to practice with.  I know that it looks pretty raggedy but I think it has a lot of character.  And it works! I may spruce it up a little as a hobby in the future--we'll see.  Also, hopefully I can sew some cute baby accessories with it one day in the future.  Who knows!

So this is the reason I have not posted much this weekend...

Trying to teach myself to use this grandmother of a sewing machine.  Notice the sticky notes (labels) on it so I can learn the different parts.  I'm trying to learn the basics and build my way up to being an expert.  Yah, right!  I've been researching the entire weekend.  I've given it a few test runs without much success but I'm not giving up (yet).

If you have any pearls on how to use this thing I would greatly appreciate it.  Send all your sewing tips/ideas this way.  By the way, that awful green color thread came with the machine.  I didn't buy it.

Mrs. K