Learning to Fly...

...But I ain't got wings... (one of my ALL time fav songs from Tom Petty!)

That is how I feel about learning to sew. I thought it was a HUGE accomplishment that I figured out how to wind a bobbin (not well mind you), put the bobbin in the holder thingy, wind the thread (I LOVE the automatic threader spring!) and then get started...but from there I am lost.

I heard a good rule of thumb from M's god-mother, who said "don't sew unless there is fabric"...unfortuneatly we heard that a little late and had to fish the thread out of the bobbin more than once...though by the end of the night we had sucessfully sewed 2 d-rings onto 1 piece of ribbon. Huzzah!

I, and we, are pretty far from mass producing anything cute, much less worth purchasing, but we're getting there slowly but surely! I plan on practicing a lot this weekend and the goal is to sew grosgrain ribbon onto nylon webbing...wish me luck! I am also gaining a ton of inspiration from Stephanie at Creative Reveries who is awesomely creative and makes tons of clothes and quilts and does all sorts of cute gifts for her adorable niece...love her stuff!

I also found the site Sew Mama Sew and they have some great ideas and lots of forums for people to talk about their projects and problems and show off what they've made...very cool to see and lots to work towards!!

We also have some visitors coming tonight and I am really excited to see them. Mr Pits friend D and his wife L are coming from Chicago for a wedding in NJ, but are nice enough to drive down from Newark this evening and spend the night with us. They have not seen the house since we moved in, and have never met Lil' Pup since we got him last summer and haven't seen them since!

We plan on grilling some steaks, and I am going to make my famous mashed potatoes (well, probably only famous to Mr. Pit and I, but he loves them and I love being able to make something edible, so its a win-win!) as well as open a bottle of champage to celebrate a fun weekend with friends. My favorite champagne is "Sofia" by Coppola and it has sentimental value as its the champagne we toasted with at our wedding, and that I for one did not drink enough of that day! (Besides the fact I didn't eat anything that day besides a cheese sandwich made for me by C's mom, I could have used a glass of champagne or two to calm me down as I almost fainted on the way down the aisle!...I did recover enough to say my vows and not bawl my eyes out, and then I finally relaxed at the reception, phew!)

Anyways...that's what the weekend has in store, I might post again today since it's a bit slow at work. The highest ranking person right now in my department is about the 5th in line of being in charge over all, since the top 4 seem to be mysteriously missing this fabulous fall Friday...but I don't want to take too much advantage of a good thing, so I am going to go grab lunch, finish my work and try to make the 5:05 train home. If it's STILL this quiet later this afternoon maybe I will modify plans and try to hop on the 4:44, but we'll have to play it by ear.

Have a great weekend, enjoy this awesome weather, cheer for the Phillies next week, and if you know how to sew and want to teach me, I can pay you in mashed potatoes, grilled cheese and good conversation!!

Artisinal Cheese and Kitchen Accessories

Afternoon Pit Fans!

I am feeling MUCH better than I was 2 days ago and have lots of news and fun topics for today.

First and foremost though, while I was eating my lunch today I browsed the Williams-Sonoma Catalog we got in the mail last night and I can't tell you how much that catalog motivates me! I am the farthest thing from a cook you could imagine (grilled cheese is my specialty, and my only specialty if you catch my drift) but nevertheless, reading this catalog makes me want to do great things in the kitchen! No, not like that! For goodness sake, get your mind out of the gutter! I mean it makes me want to cook, and by cook, I mean buy all the fun things in their catalog, and THEN cook thier yummy recipes! Even thier china patterns with roosters on them call out to me even though our house is currently without a rooster and I am not sure we need to add any...I still want to order the whole set, 12 please!

Second, the catalog has an entire section of specialty cheeses from the US and abroad, and I swear it is taking all of my strength not to spend $800 for approximately 8 lbs of cheese from all over the world. Everyone knows I am a cheese-aholic and the words 'goat cheese' might as well be the best aphrodisiac ever :) Mr. Pit knows this well and lets me regularly have my way with the cheese selection at Whole Foods (smart man) :)

Anyways, enough with the food talk, even right after lunch I am getting hunger pangs. Plus, it doesn't help that I work 2 blocks from
Tria which has the best wine and cheese menu in all of Philly. YUM.

Third...and this is exciting. I got a sewing machine last night. Got it all set up and didn't sew myself to any fabric yet, so its all good so far! I got tons of scrap fabric to mess around with, and $129 later I had a machine, tons of fun ribbon, webbing, fabric and thread. SO FUN! I did all of my practicing while listening to the debate in the backround, and let me tell you, I was so focused on not breaking the poor machine I hardly listened but knew enough that the headlines who said who 'won' today didn't suprise me.

AND, speaking of winning...YAY PHILLIES!!! World Series here we come!!! I have to admit that I am a known mush (a mush is someone who no matter what, when attending a game or event in person, the team that person wants to win, will lose) so I will not be attending any games though my little brother is flying back from San Diego for a long weekend and is trying to get tickets to whatever home game he can. All I have to say is GO PHILS! I promise I won't even be in the vicinity of Citizens Bank Park, and if you want, I won't even watch it on TV :)

So, thats what I have for today. M is coming over tonight to play with the sewing machine (which means I have to do a super-fast clean when I get home today) but it will be nice to have company :) Plus, Lil' Pup LOVES his Aunt M so he'll be as thrilled to see her as anyone.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Oh wait, I almost forgot...Congratuatlions to Leanne for winning Project Runway last night! Thank goodness it wasn't the whiny Kenley, woo hoo! And I LOVE that Tim Gunn was the guest judge, I love that man :)

Cranky doesn't even begin to describe it...

It, of course, being me. I don't know what is wrong with me lately, but I have been down in the dumps and can't figure out why.
On the outside, all is well and good.
Let me list the good things.

• I am healthy.
• Mr. Pit is healthy. And he loves me to boot, what more could a girl ask for?!
• Lil' Pup is healthy and hasn't run away since we got the electric fence, horray!
• I have a job.
• Mr. Pit has a job.
• Both jobs regularly send paychecks.
• Health insurance is covered.
• The mortgage has and will be paid.
• The cars are being paid for.
• We even have money for the occassional (1x a week or so) dinner out at a place of our choosing.
• I have gotten nice new things this past month that make me smile when I look at them.
• My family is healthy and awesome. My little brother is moving home from California and my Mom couldn't be happier. I am also excited to have him home as he is a super fun partner in crime.

Now, the things that have driven me up a wall and to near tears in the last 2 weeks.

• I want to start a business but don't have a business plan, just a feeling and an 'idea'. This makes people nervous. This makes me angry. TRUST the idea.
• Since no one TRUSTS the idea (except for M), no one thinks its a good idea to sink $3000 into a machine and materials. This again makes me angry. I have to start somewhere!
• My boss is gone for 2 weeks (good) I have to do all my work and his (bad). This is a great opportunity for me to show my chops at work (good). I am terrifed (bad).
• Home heating oil is expensive. $3.39 a gallon to be exact. Therefore, our house is cold. Always.
• I was 3/4 of the way done my needlepoint (good)(note: most of this being done in sort of dim lighting). I was outside in the bright sun yesterday and realized that I had bought the wrong color to continue the pattern. I had to rip out hundreds of stitches. This almost made me weep. And then stab someone with my needlepoint needle. (bad)
• The weather outside is awesome (good). I am stuck in my office (bad)
• Both my friends in the office (that's right, I only have 2) are gone. There is nothing to do but work (and blog, though I am not really supposed to be doing that) (both bad)
• I am PMSing big time. This, of course is better than the alternative (being pregnant)...or is it? (btw, I have totally had babies on the brain lately...wtf? I am SO not ready, so why do I keep thinking about it?)
• As I said above, my little brother is moving home. He is being an idiot about finding a job. This infuriates me beyond belief. Why do I care so much? He is 25 and can take care of himself, job or no job. Problem is, I can't STOP being his big sister. I can't stop telling him what to do and how to do it. It's ingrained in me.
• And to top it all off...I have no Halloween costume. This is not earth shattering horrible news. This also makes me want to cry at various points in the day.

So, as you can see. I have NOTHING to complain about. Not a gosh darn thing. Poor me that I can't drop $3k on an embroidery machine while people lose thier homes in the wake of the sub-prime mortgage collapse. Poor me that I have to work all day making good money while people as qualified as me (if not more) lost thier jobs last week in the "reduction in force" of 2008.

Maybe if I took up running it would help. I hear it boosts seratonin? Can't I just take a pill and cook the corn? (name that movie people). Basically I want the easy way out. I want to wake up tomorrow and be in a good mood. I want to NOT care about the things I can't control (my little brother, the weather). I want to not drive my amazing husband to write emails that say "I feel like you are sinking, I want to help you".

But please. Someone. HELP ME.

Wavy Wedding Dresses and one BIG decision gone awry

Afternoon Pit Fans,

so, first off, lets do our weekly run down of Project: Runway and see how we fared last night.

And let me say this, I can't TELL you how excited I was that their projects were wedding dresses. I am OBSESSED with wedding dresses. Choosing mine that I wore two years ago was some of the most fun I have ever had (and it was all done in a day as I found my dream dress after trying only 9 others on!) so I love any excuse to talk/think/dream about wedding dresses and what would have been if I hadn't bought mine. (See right, mine was SO plain and simple and impossibly me...I still want to wear it all the time and am thinking of getting it dyed Navy Blue so I can wear it to a ball or something in the future. What do you think?)

I have to say that I LOVED Kenley's dress with all the feathers. And, though I have seen pictures of the Alexander McQueen version, (See above) I don't think that Kenley is stupid enough to rip off his design so blantantly in front of such high-end fashion talent. Or if she is that dumb she deserves a smack...but I digress.

I also loved Leanne's wavy dress, though I wouldn't wear it myself, I think it is the peak of couture wedding dresses and I knew it would be an instant judge pleaser.

Heidi was as nice as could be to everyone, and when Tim Gunn cried I almost shed a tear msyelf.

Anyways, onto more important things...the big decision I was going to make was to make a purchase of an embroidery machine, namely the Singer Futura CE-250. Then, I had lunch with my friend E, whose mother sews A LOT who recommended nothing but a Bernina. Now, I for one had only ever heard of a Bernina but didn't know anything about it. What I did find out is that they are considered the Bentley of sewing machines, and if you can afford to take the 2nd mortgage on your house, you should buy one hands down. So, if the train is on time tonight (which come on, is it ever?) I plan on heading to the only store near us that sells these amazing machines and getting a demonstration of why I should spend half my monthly salary on one.

Wish me luck!

A new adventure

Afternoon Pit Fans! This fall weather certainly has me running at peak strength as it's too chilly to be lazy and too gorgeous to be sitting at home while you could be outside enjoying the changing leaves, crisp air and my favorite 4 legged friend :)

The past two days have been filled with "if...then" statements pertaining to the new developments on the "Project: New Company" front, and I promise to let you know when we are up and running.

So far though, it looks like I am going to buy only 1 of the 2 components I think I will need for this venture due to costs...but I am ok with it, as I know I need to start slow and don't want to spend a lot of money on things I am not sure I need right now.

Onto other more interesting news:
1) The boots FINALLY arrived. They are gorgeous. They fit perfectly. But...I am not sure I love them as much as I do on the model in the catalog that served as inspiration. That model was 5'10", way skinnier than me and in a way cuter outfit. When I tried them on last night with the outfit I had always planned on wearing with them, they just looked 'off'. The skirt was too long and since they have little to no heel, it made me look squat instead of lithe. I kept the outfit on and put on boots with a 3" heel and I instantly 'lost' 10 lbs an felt like I should have. So now I wonder, what on earth do I wear the no-heeled boots with?

Is it true that wearing your boots on the outside of your jeans trend has gone by the way side? What is the point of a knee high boot if you can't even see them under pants? Someone PLEASE tell me what to wear with them? They are SO tough and awesome looking, but they do me NO good if I can't wear them with anything!!

2) I am no longer selling ANYTHING on eBay. Ever. I sold one item and sold it specifically since I was duped myself on the size. It said "size 10" which is my size, only to rip the tags off, put it on and realize that I don't normally buy 1/2 sleeved-belly shirts. I had bought a kids size 10. So, I sold it on eBay as such and got a nasty email (well, 3 nasty emails) from the person that bought it that said she couldn't see how a 10 year old would ever wear it. Listen lady, NOT my problem. If you don't know what size or style your kid likes, that is NOT my problem. There were 2 pictures up there of the item, and if you has asked any questions of it I would have been happy to answer any and all. Idiot.
I apologize if I come off a bit harsh, but come on, you paid $10 for this shirt, what do you want, Gucci?

3) I am done ranting, just in case you wanted to know.

4) My boss is gone for the next two weeks starting on Friday. Holla! Not that I won't have a ton of work to do while he is gone, because I am actually certain that my work load will increase, however, he won't be here to bug me every 2 minutes, so I might actually be able to get things done. Sweet. (I also plan on using some of this time to work on "Project:New Company" but only on the sly. )

5) yeah, I don't have a 5, I just wanted to round out the list to make it look like I have lots of things to say. I plan on leaving in 5 minutes to catch the early train anyway and spend the evening with Mr Pit and Lil' Pup discussing oil prices and all that fun house stuff.

Have a great afternoon!!

Uggs are on, Fall is here

So, I've officially given up any hope of an Indian summer, and am getting to be OK with the thought of Fall actually being here. The summer flew by faster than rabbit trying out outrun Lil' Pup (unfortunately for the rabbit, that rarely happens) but all I know is summer is gone and I am trying to not be incredibly annoyed when I wake up to 50 degree temperatures and the heat is officially been turned on.

I did however, have an amazing weekend in the Hampton's with the Family and my God-Mother who is a saint and the best hostess ever.

On the docket today for things to talk about are the following.

1) My boots have not arrived yet, but I am anxiously awaiting the box to be left on the front porch.

2) I have my dance class tonight, and though I am so tired, I am looking forward to waking up a bit and of course for seeing my BF "M".

3) Probably the most important of all is a choice of Halloween costumes. M is having a blow out party this year, as she did last year, and I have to be able to outdo my outfit last year (which was a big hit!) but I don't feel like dealing with buying something that I'll never wear again. Plus, I hate that Halloween is an excuse for girls to dress like sluts. I mean, where did this notion come from? It confuses me to the bitter end, and when searching online for things to wear, the only things I liked were those that were not made in my size (Winnie the Poo, Tigger, a big soft fluffy dog with ears and cute tail!) Alas, apparently as a grown woman you are not allowed to dress like a cute furry animal unless your midriff is showing and you're wearing knee high pleather boots. blah.

Someone tell me what to be for Halloween...please! Otherwise I'm going in my ski outfit for two reasons. 1- I'll be warm, and 2- I won't have to show any unnecessary skin unless I want to show off my ankles or my hands. And don't worry M, I'll promise to take off my ski boots before I come in the house!

So, that's what's on my mind for today, I am sure the week will bring lots more random thoughts and meandering posts, aren't you lucky readers?
I have Friday night plans with my Mom as the husbands are leaving us for the evening to participate in a golfers dinner and we are sure they will come back with some great stories as they do each year.

On top of that, there have been some late breaking developments on Project: New Company so I'll keep you posted on that. One Visa card could get a whole lot of exercise in the near future, but as Mr. Pit tells me frequently, you can't make money unless you spend money, so I am about to see how true that statement really is!

It's not supposed to be elegant Heidi!

Ooh, well...that doesn't say much for Kenley's outfit now does it? That line above is from Project Runway last night (obvi) and it was laugh out loud good until the judges (bowing to producers I'm sure) allowed all 4 finalists to show their collection prior to Bryant Park.

WTF? What ever happened to letting people lose? Even people like Kenley who make for good tv?

You'll notice this happens now in the age of "self-esteem" and all that BS. When I was little I was picked last, dropped from soccer teams, didn't make the lead in the play and all that good stuff. You have to learn how to fail and fail gracefully when you're young, or else the real world is gonna really show you who's boss. I didn't have my parents go roaring into the coaches office to see why I didn't make the team or got pulled out of the game after half time, never to touch the field again. I just plain dealt with it and practiced harder the next time so I was better and didn't have to get taken off the field.

Anyways, I thought the ending to last nights show was lame that they let everyone through, especially after Kenley's purple-zilla monstrosity. Bones however was awesome albeit super gross (it involved an elevator shaft, yuck!)and I am almost half way done with my needle pointing project (a cuff bracelet that I am making for myself) so I am a happy camper this lovely Thursday afternoon.

In other good news, I bit the bullet and ordered the boots below. No, not the Coach ones, the Steve Madden wannabe boots. I figure if they fit well enough, they are totally worth it given the price. One small bummer is that they are not in stock, but hopefully they will be ready to go for next weekend.



Speaking of next weekend, Mr. Pit is playing in a golf tournament with my Dad all weekend, so Lil' Pup and I have a whole weekend for Mommy/Puppy bonding time. Thinking at trip to Valley Forge Park might be nice, plus, after a nice 5 mile long trail walk Lil' Pup should be napping away all afternoon.