Happy New Year!

Bring it on 2010.

Nice try

I'm getting to some of my goals. I have practiced once today - scales and etudes on the Bb. I think I'll do another session after dinner on the A which will be solos and orchestral excerpts. I should probably review some of the scales again. I went through them all today and marked off the ones I really need to focus on. Unfortunately that list is longer than the ones I know. Some of them I'm truly dreadful at - like Dd minor. And my reeds are not very happy. Have to get some new ones tomorrow if this auditioning thing is going to work out.
I did finally get to finish a sewing project! These coasters are for one of my great friends who didn't know what a paisley was this summer. Now she knows. I had technical difficulties with the iron though. Did you know that if you accidentally drop a hot iron on generic carpeting that the carpet will melt? Yeah, I'm hoping my parents don't notice that one. It came off the iron though, which was my big concern.
Anyway, the coaster pattern is really easy and super cute. I saw them a few times at different quilting meetings but have never made them before. I got the directions at http://vtmountaingal.blogspot.com/2008/01/4-patch-folded-coasters-tutorial.html. They are easy to follow and there's great pictures to help.
Now that I've done something productive for a while, I think I'll play sims...

Goals for now

1. I will not continuously eat Dove chocolate.
2. I will not play Sims all day
3. I will practice scales, etudes, and solos every day until January 30th.
4. I will work on projects that are overdue gifts for friends and family.
5. I will at least begin the process of de-cluttering my childhood bedroom.
These seem simple, but it will be a lot to accomplish. Not to mention all the little things on my to-do lists - mailing bills, writing letters, cleaning out my email, forcing myself to go to the gym... Get an oil change, almost forgot that one. So much for the concept of a 'break.'

Holiday...isn't that a gas station?

Day after Christmas and all through the house, not a creature is stirring - except the NXT robot and the cat that's high on cat nip. I'm finally really feeling that my parent's house is REALLY not my my house anymore. I love them dearly but I can't function in the house as an adult. It's weird thinking of yourself as a guest in the house that was 'yours' in a sense. How does that happen?

Grad school auditions start in 12 days. Do I know my scales? Have I practiced? Naaaaww. Why Would I do that? I could just kill myself...this is several days without practicing. Stupid stupid stupid. Next phase of life is depending on my performance on my ability on this piece of wood and I barely touch it. Clearly I will need to keep a more strict schedule from now on. I'm finding that I can't wait to go to school somewhere. (so I better practice, right?) Not just for the music stuff, I mean, to go live somewhere. An apartment. Out of state. All mine. Whoooo!

I got a pretty awesome set of knives and strainers for Christmas (thinks!). Just thinking of my own kitchen is exciting.

I have been able to do some cooking, which is good. For the most part, cooking tends to be relaxing. Unless there is also baking involved, in which you unknowingly use butter substitute on a recipe that really doesn't work without real butter. Oops. I did make baked potato soup and some really amazing artichoke dip (inspired by one of my favorite English-ed friends!) I get made fun of because I use my computer as a travelling recipe book, but whatever. Who else has a recipe book that also plays Christmas music and Youtube videos?

I realized that, like always, I packed way more stuff to do than is actually necessary. Why do I have to be the weird college student that comes home with instruments, knitting, laundry, and a sewing machine? I have to make sure that I use the sewing machine. At least it will justify bringing it.

Merry Christmas! And let no one suffer from boredom!

chicken!

I am currently roasting a chicken. I've never done it before...so I'm hoping it's edible. The recipe called for white wine, garlic, thyme, and lime wedges. Sounds sophisticated, right?

more fabric

So my sister wanted to get some fabric to cover a pillow. Too bad everything at the fabric store was 50% off! So needless to say, even she left with a lot more than she planned on getting. And I must be really dumb, because I was thinking that I'd just go along, maybe get a fat quarter or something. Now I have everything to make a really nice vest. Not planned, but okay...a vest is good teacher clothing, right?
Plus I did get the fat quarter, of course, to make some stuff for one of my good friends in Chicago. Can't remember if I gave her this site or not, so I won't say what it is or post any pictures until she has it.
Still need to get going on the table runner for my mom. I'm pretty excited actually, because the small size will be perfect to try out some more decorative quilting. I managed to get some really nice sulky thread for it too - I said I'd have it done by the 15th. A few more band pants to go though....

moved in

Been at the house at school for a few days now. Still a little cluttered with boxes and stuff, but hopefully that will get better soon. Just spent who knows how many hours hemming the marching band's pants. Yuck...I couldn't believe some of the stuff that I found in and on those pants. Or to put it this way, I only believed it because it was in my lap.
I may be getting more pants, but I'm happily thinking of my other projects. I really hope that I get some time on them even though this semester is probably going to be crazy. Taking a break from the sewing machine for now... it's probably as tired of those pants as I am :-).

So, I'm cleaning for another party. Quilt group actually..hehe. I was the youngest by about 30 years last time I went, but man those ladies are fun. Unfortunately I won't have much to show except dinner and a somewhat clutter free zone. On the bright side I may be getting some clarinet lessons with the principal of a major orchestra. So I better add practicing to my to-do list...

life got crazy

The last week was just insane. I didn't turn on my computer once. The grad party is over, camp training is over and hopefully I'll get back into a regular schedule now. I was thrown when asked Wednesday if I would play organ for the Sunday church service. Having never played the full Sunday service or the organ it was quite the whirlwind of nerves and practicing the past few days. I'm behind on so many calls and emails it's ridiculous. So I guess I'll work on catching up in the next few days if camp doesn't do me in! I have at least four more quilts awaiting my attention as well. There just isn't enough time in the day.

Well the family is gone now. Now I'm going into full party planner mode. Minus the time I'm taking the praxis music test tomorrow. Yuck...I thought I was done with standardized test stuff after high school. Amazingly I finished the quilt! I have tons of others to do, but I may take a break for a week or two...:-)

Cranky

I don't know how I'm going to keep sewing on this. I really want to but at the same time I really don't. Then I get mad because I want to do it in my head but I just can't seem to make my body agree with my mind. Plus everyone else here seems crabby which influences me to join in the crabbiness. We are having relatives stay here in a few days and a party later next week so I think the intense cranky 'we need to clean' mode has finally set in. It's been threatening all week. No more living with parents after this year - I love them but it is stressful living in someone's house after you have lived on your own.
Whatever I'm doing for the rest of the day, I'm in for a long haul. Quilting all-nighter in the near future...

Tired and out of time

I had one of those nights in which you don't sleep for millions of random reasons. So I've been up today and have accomplished very little besides staying awake. I'm making a quilt for my sister's graduation present and it has to be done by Sunday - two and half days. I've been quilting it, but for some reason I just can't get much done. I quilt a block and then I sit and stare for a while - a habit which normally only pops up during writing papers.
For those of you who quilt, I will now express my joy of quilting in a tiny space on the desk in front of my computer. It STINKS. Plus the quilt keeps getting stuck in the little hole where you drop the tower down and then pulls stuff off the side of the desk when I have to turn it. I also particularly love shoving the entire quilt through the tiny opening in the machine. I'm probably going to break a needle today.
Pictures will be up as soon as my sister actually gets the quilt (It's a surprise design - she just knows there's a quilt). I hope I can wake up enough to actually work on it.

Hello!

So this is my first blog... pretty exciting. I need to figure out how this works and upload some stuff in between sewing sessions. Or rather, quilting sessions which can be infinitely more tedious. Probably should fit some clarinet time in there too as I have fallen sadly behind in that area. Can't wait to add this to my list of hobbies...