THE Grille Guard/Bumper Combo

Like I noted, C has been working on stuff too. In the garage, like always. His truck needed a new bumper and grille guard, so he picked up his welder and some left over steel pipe laying around and created, yet another, deer killer. This frontal piece is not something I would mess with. In fact, I think the name brand version of the thing my husband just made (yes, that was pride you detected in my tone) retails for over $1500. So, who wants a new bumper and grille guard?

In profile:

The front shot:

Wow. I am always impressed by what C can create in his medium.
I can understand that we each just work in ENTIRELY different mediums, but that we both create in our own way.

Still at the Quilt Thing

Assembled top of little C's quilt:




I need to figure out the backing (a lovely shade of aqua), quilt the quilt, and figure out how to really bind a quilt (especially those pesky corners). The due date on this one is January 4th.

Fabric chosen for the next quilt:




This is for a recently born little boy. His daddy loves bright colors - especially orange, so I think it will be a hit. I already have the pattern for the top in my head, so I'm hoping assembly goes smoothly. Tentative due date on this, my first baby boy quilt, is December 23rd.

I have the fabric for one more baby boy quilt that is super overdue. I finally sketched out a design for the top that I like, so on to cutting and assembly. I would love to have this one done by New Year's Eve, but these are all A LOT of work for me. We'll see.

Part of the joy I get out of making these quilts is the joy and wonderment and gratitude I see on the parents' faces. I enjoy the colors of the fabrics and the designs I create for the tops. The assembly and quilting processes are labors of love, as the sewing itself is not my favorite part. That could be why I'm averaging one quilt per year - it takes me a long while to convince myself the entire process is worth it again. Which means, if you don't get a baby quilt from me, please don't be offended. I'm still not sure that quilting is my niche, we've had an abundance of babies born in the last eighteen months, and sometimes, I just hate to look at my sewing machine (over 30 years old, something is wrong with it, and to properly complete these quilts, I need a much more advanced/expensive machine). Excuses, I know. But I appreciate all of the compliments and encouragement on what I have managed to get done! Hope you all keep following along!

- Posted from my mobile phone

Will it be Here in Time for Christmas?

AnneR,

Your order for 1 Test Tube Baby on 12/06/2010 has been recently shipped via SMARTPOST.

Your tracking number is: 0000

Your tracking number may not show in the online tracking system for a couple of days, so don't panic.

Your order may contain multiple packages that arrive on different days. If you don't receive your entire order at the same time, please wait a couple of days after you receive your first package before contacting us at X.

For future reference, your order number is: 0000.

[This was the email in my inbox about a week and a half ago. C thought it was so funny that I should "post it to your blog where people know about us." I'm sure he wanted you all to see the humor as well. He especially couldn't contain his laughter regarding "Your order may contain multiple packages." This email actually refers to a tee shirt I couldn't resist ordering from Woot.com called Test Tube Baby. Go figure.]

- Posted from my mobile phone

Family Photos/Christmas Card Non-Contenders

We are spending the weekend with C's parents. Sort of. I'm spending the weekend with C's parents and he's sleeping here when he is not hunting deer. And my parents are headed over in a bit for dinner. So really, we're one big happy family. Minus the percievably dead deer.

Which means now is the perfect moment to post SOME pictures that Kami @ OrangePeel Photography took of my cute little family.

These are the ones that C wants on our Christmas cards. These are the ones that will not be on our Christmas cards:

Boris strikes again. During a photo session, nonetheless.
Which, of course, cracks C up to no end.

Pinks & Oranges: Quilt No. 2

Yes, I'm elbows deep in my second quilt. The first was completed over a year ago and presented to a very deserving pint sized blond who is extremely dear to C and I. As are her parents and brother. Anyway, quilt no. 2 utilizes some of the same fabrics and the same colorway, but is a completely different beast. As in, I should have used interfacing (whatever that is) and I finally watched all sixteen tutorials on binding a quilt (and while I still don't "get" it, I have a better idea what I'm aiming for). And this one is for the darling baby C, born in June, expected in September, and able to meet one of her mommy's oldest friend this January (with quilt in hand - jopefully). So I have to get moving.

I am here.



Which means that I have the strips sewn and just need to arrange them (so that none of the same patterns touch - thanks OCD) and sew them up. I found some great aqua backing to compliment the pinks and blushes. I'll put up a picture when it is complete.

Now, C has pulled the motor out of the yellow Jeep, sold it, and put in a 350 in. It is almost drivable and C is looking forward to busting snowdrifts this winter. I used to be worried about the draftiness of Jeeps in the winter, but I'm not so worried about this one: the floorboards were warm enough this summer to almost melt flip-flops. We'll be toasty, I'm sure. If I get a moment, I'll take a picture of C's new silver motor (thanks, R!).

- Posted from my mobile phone

The Loving Part

The loving part of this blog includes where our hearts and minds have been for the last two weeks. With AJ and his parents.

Our good friends LL and boss J found out two weeks ago that little AJ needed to be coaxed into the world early due to a few complications. So on October 25, 2010 around 6pm, AJ was born. C and I were delighted to be among the first to meet him, along with his doting grandparents and older sister and brother. His weight and length were awesome, especially considering his early arrival. LL and J did great.




A quick photo of grandpa holding AJ.

Soon after I left the hospital, there were concerns about AJ's breathing and he was whisked off to the nursery and then the NICU, where they could help him a little more. His parents returned home Wednesday as AJ made fantastic progress in the NICU, until he was discharged Tuesday evening. Everyone is doing fantastically and they are quite content and settling in at home now.

We were able to visit AJ, his mom, dad, and grandma last night and it is wonderful to see how well everyone adapts to new life. We can't wait to see more of all of them!

- Posted from my mobile phone

Runnin' Around

Oh, we've been busy. Notice that you have yet to see any pictures from our Jeep trip to CO in September. C's been working a ton since surveying does the bulk of the business in the summer. I've been working a lot too: I've taught two back-to-back mass communications courses over the last nine weeks in addition to my 9-6 job. Many things are also occurring in the subtitles of our lives.

But sometimes you take a break. We both came down with a killer cold this past week. Feeling better and bought C some new boots yesterday. And today, today we toured in the old Dodge WC. No pictures of any of that. Just some of the dogs enjoying C's friend J's awesome property. I know, we have a lot of J friends. This one builds old Dodges, like C does.



















So, three dogs in a field, smiling Boris, playing in the water, Bailey checking on Bella, Boris springing on Bella, and the three mid wrestling. They have a ball out at J's house.

In other news, we had family pictures taken by KamiV over at Orange Peel Photography tonight. Weather and light cooperated, dogs were typically funny, and I'm looking forward to some photos that feature the old Dodge that C built. I'm so proud of what he can do and I think some of his pride comes through in the photos. At any rate, I know our moms will be thrilled with family photos. Can I mention the love we have for K? She is fantastic. Friend and photographer.

- Posted from my mobile phone

Almost Done

Almost done is the way some things in our house stay for awhile. But this project is at the functional stage, waiting on me for the final touches.




The masterful C working on the desktop.




C remembered that I might need a shelf for my printer - so smart, that man!




Essentially, installed. Can you tell that it is seven feet long? Three feet high? It is so awesome - just needs painting!




Dad sent some paint with Mom last weekend. Oil based semi-gloss for the curious. I threatened to go to H.ome Depot for paint and instead, I get to use some fabulous P.orter Paint. In this picture, it just looks cluttered again, but there is a method AND I have to clear it all off again to paint it anyway. Potential problem: this workspace is the perfect height for leaning over to work on a task, but not for your average office chair. C came home with TWO drafting chairs from work! I was dreading spending the money on specialty chairs!

As of right now, I have a dining room table again and I almost have the guest bed cleared off. I need to find time to paint the top, hang some pictures, and organize a little more, and I am done! C did such a great job!

- Posted from my mobile phone

Whatever Shall He Build for Me?

So, I have an incredibly talented builder in C. He proves his worth over and over again (not that he has to, after all, he's cute and I hear good looks last forever).

Anyway, I am crafty, which is way different than building, but we don't have the time for that dissection. C builds in his garage - which may or may not be more square feet of space than our house. He also has the back room to hang out in with the washer, dryer, and all of his clothes. I have the Orange room, also known as the library and the guest bedroom. It looks like this right now:







And I have more stuff strung out across the dining room table:




Oh dear, I probably look like a mess! And obviously I need a dedicated, multipurpose, organized area. The beautiful desk my parents bought for me isn't cutting it anymore. So I had a bright idea - move my desk to C's hang out room (he's got an actual PC with a monitor and tower, which is what my desk is built for) and build a huge workspace in the orange room. It is seven feet by two and a half by three feet. Huge. For sewing, stamping, quilting, grading papers, fooling around on the Internet, wrapping presents, etc. If necessary, someone could probably sleep on it. I wouldn't make anyone sleep on it, I'm just saying.

As usual, I remain unable to formulate or actually communicate what my ideas for the giant workspace are. It's a female-male thing, I think. C has his own ideas and a much better understanding of the limitations of material things, i. e. wood, metal, glass, so we go back and forth a bit. My ideas are within the realm of imagination, but not lathe and plaster reality. I also have no concept of the difference between master craftsmanship and thousands of dollars of specialty materials and tools and what C can do for me in our garage with stuff from Home Depot. Once we had all that sorted out and I threw up my hands for the eighth time and muttered whatever, C had free reign to do whatever he needed to in order to build an awesome, uh, functional workspace. After all of my grand ideas were tossed around, I decided that I'm okay with anything as long as it has a smooth, somewhat level work surface (top). So, I'm thinking that is what I'll get. Here's a sneak peek:







Silly readers, C is making it - you didn't really think he wouldn't get his welder out, did you?

- Posted from my mobile phone

Bumblebee

She is beautiful. I'm blown away by what C built her from. He is so talented! The man can troubleshoot almost anything. This Jeep began as a rusty tub and a front clip. Now, she's trailworthy, roadworthy, and definitely mudworthy - just how we like our Jeeps!















It would take me too long to list the customizations and fabrications that C has done to her. But do notice the F-K-B painted on the front of the hard top above the windshield. Fat Kid Bumpers lives on. Also, the "Anti-Jeff" device on the back - there's a whole story of damage wrapped up in that one. The tire carrier/gasoline can holder is all the ingenious bossJ and C, but all Jeeps are running with them these days.

Sorry, you'll have to wait a little longer for CO pictures and stories - I've got to get back to grading assignments!

- Posted from my mobile phone

Another Trip Home

I don't know which weekend out at C's parents this is, but it was a fruitful visit. Either this visit or the one after, AM's family came out and B, E, and R gorged on peaches and apples. Can't really blame them.

Branch almost touching the ground it's so heavy with fruit.

I think bees are part of the reason for the success of the fruit trees. Pollenaton is never a bad thing. And from bees comes HONEY. Don't be too jealous that C and I just took home a quart of raw honey!

Small apples, but full of flavor! I like playing fetch with the apples and dogs - they are surprised by the sweetness of their "ball."

Loki and Bella wanting to go for a ride.

More apples loading down the tree.

Can you see all the apples on the tree? I was a little worried about branches breaking off!

- Posted from my mobile phone

The Land

Out by G&L's house one Saturday morning around June 19. Storm moving as we headed to town. Thankfully, we only felt sprinkles and gusting wind as we were in the yellow Jeep.

I love that space. I love that place. I love that ride, journey, and trip. I love the sky. I very much adore the boy I was with and appreciate that he used his time, skill, and ability to make me a yellow Jeep. The wide open country is where we belong.

- Posted from my mobile phone

KanRocks 7/17

This was the second weekend of Jeeping for C, bossJ, and J at KanRocks. I went along for fun. And for the food - I packed apples and killer sandwiches.






Last picture of the outing. I am very very hot. Have already drank 60ozs of water. Sweated off 2-3 lbs. Not even kidding. Had stayed relatively mud free until five minutes before we left. Thanks, C.







BossJ's Red Rocket did quite well. There are some overheating issues, but he's also waiting on a custom radiator and some other accesories to come in that should fix all of that. Very capable rig - especially with the lockers.







New friend M, with an awesome yellow Jeep. Again, very capable, even mostly stock.







S navigating the terrain for boss J. Having a great time.







Yes, thank you for asking, we DO have quite a few Jeeping clips on video - shot by C, J's daughter L, or me. Yes, if you stop by the house there is a good chance C will force you to watch them.






- Posted from my mobile phone

Anne's Birthday!

I celebrated a fantastic birthday on Tuesday! The best parts were as follows:






Terrific birthday hair and outfit. A definite fauxhawk with blue streaks. Favorite banana cardigan, purple swirl skirt, pink ruffle tank, silver shoes, and green bead & pearl necklace made by my very own AM. This picture was distributed to various persons via text just to increase their happiness on MY birthday! It was a good thing I dressed so cute on this Tuesday, because Mom and sister B walked into my workplace about an hour before we closed! It was a big surprise - although C totally knew about it! I was beyond excited to see Mom and B for my birthday.

I met up with them over at Home Depot to pick out my birthday present after work. C insisted I get a wheelbarrow with two front wheels, but I found a Gorilla Cart (I think that's what it is called) that will work well for us around the yard. Mom couldn't believe that I wanted a wheelbarrow for my birthday, but after asking her 52 million times, I think she realized that I was serious. I love the Gorilla Cart too - it's like a super duty wagon with tough wheels and a bed you can dump out. My first priority was to pull the wagon into the back yard to see if I could convince Boris or Bailey to go for a ride. That was unsuccessful. But I think the wagon will tote lawn clippings and produce around just fine! Thank you, Mom!

Mom and B stayed for a dinner made by the fabulous C. I know there were potatoes, asparagus, corn, and chicken casserole. Oh, and organic brown rice, my favorite! Not kidding. It was a great dinner! Wait until you see what Caleb made for dessert!







A very very special gift from the one I love. We have a wrap-around porch and it has desperately needed a porch swing since day one. I finally told C that a porch swing is all I wanted for my birthday. He looked all over and found me an OAK porch swing! I needed it hung the very same day he brought it home, so we went and purchased all of the accesories and cable - so I wouldn't get my fingers pinched in a chain. He is so smart - he hung the swing a little bit high so that your feet don't touch while swinging - just the way I like it. C says we'll let it weather naturally this year and possibly stain/protect it next year. My only problem is poop - lots and lots of berry eating pooping birds. Yuck. But really, just seeing that porch swing when I look out the window or pull up in the driveway makes me smile.

Sidenote: I spent at least half an hour with J's kids, L and G - pushing them on the swing. In the outside natural quiet, there were a few great conversations. I love those kids! And they liked the porch swing!







Last, but not least, the CAKE! C made another fabulous cake! It was a yellow cake made with fresh berry juice (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries) and then the layers of whipped cream and fruit! Nobody could turn that cake down! It was so yummy! Thank you, C! I love you! And I especially appreciate how special you make my birthday just because you know how much it means to me!

My earliest present bundle came from the wonderful AM, who I can only guess was subtly hinting at her need for me to bake her a pie. Can you even guess? The coolest green apple pie dish and loads of fun accesories! Thank you!

**I did choose to work on my birthday because work is where some of my favorite people are! I styled my hair and put on a cute outfit and headed into work. I wasn't disappointed - my desk was decorated, I had flowers, a fruit tart, lunch, stationary in the mail, and lots more. It all served to make me feel loved and appreciated! Funny enough, the patients coming in guessed my age at 22! I have great genes from my parents! Although, since I've been married for five years, 22 makes me a young bride!

- Posted from my mobile phone