Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Shawls, bunnies, pencilcases, Oh my!

It's been a bit of a boring month here in Bethlehem: taxes, immigration, and reading about how to buy a house. Very boring, time-consuming, grown-up stuff. It's been rainy, which stinks (although trudging about in the new rubber boots is delightful). D and I are currently on a strict spending diet that has put a huge damper on our favourite hobby of eating out. After about two weeks we caved and raided the change jar, which yielded a decent count of $14.92 so we went out for some tasty beefy burgers, fries and coke at the new local diner - yippee for change jars!

Easter weekend was quiet...workwise, it's really not a big deal here in the US, and people don't get the Friday and Monday off. People go crazy decorating their homes, however. We have witnessed many bunny flags, inflatable 7-foot bunnies, and plastic eggs adorning the trees and shrubs like it's Christmas all over again. Last weekend D fixed up our bikes, just as it started to rain, so they haven't been out for a spin yet. We planted little tomato, lettuce, and basil seeds which will hopefully be big enough to transplant when it warms up...


I keep starting new projects (conveniently, when another project has been botched), and now I've got a dozen things on the go. The purple thing is the Swallowtail Shawl, the brown is Ene's scarf, and the bunnies just need some faces before they're all done...actually, one's probably going to become a lamb or some other small-earred creature...I'm low on yellow yarn.

I also pulled out the sewing machine and made a pencil case thing to put my double-pointed needles in. That quilt I was working on? The top is about 2/3 done, but I ran out of pieces so I have to cut more before I can keep going. Of course, I'm procrastinating on the cutting...

I'm still working on those Moravian bonnets which I keep forgetting to photograph. I've made about 10 now, and I usually pick one up when I'm feeling totally indecisive about what project to work on...

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Stuffies

Has it really been that long since my last post? I really thought I was posting more regularly. Clearly, being unemployed doesn't make me a more prolific blogger.

I've been busy...two or threes at the bakery each week, twice at the afterschool program, sewing Moravian costumes (well, just the bonnets so far...which I have yet to blog), and most recently, I'm signed up to volunteer at the local hospital. All last week I was assembling my application for licensure in PA. You wouldn't believe how much paperwork and bureaucracy there is when you're from just across the border. They don't seem to believe that my degree is legit.

Anyhow, craft time has involved knitting mostly toys...


There's some bread in the oven which I'd better check on...