We Don't Waste Time

So.

Remember the old rhyme, "first comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes mama with a baby carriage"?  Yeah, add baby carriage to our future!  Charlie and I are expecting!  Our new addition will be here in February 2014.

I haven't blogged because, well, I'm bad at keeping secrets and we wanted to wait to share the news until I was thru the first trimester. Of course we told parents, siblings and close friends as soon as we knew.  We finally had our housewarming party over the weekend and used it as the perfect time to tell everyone else in the family about our wonderful news.  It was fun answering the usual question "how are you?" with "pregnant!" rather than the usual "fine."  Our already happy home was christened with excitement and happy tears.  I don't think my dad could have had a bigger smile every time someone referred to him as grandpa. Love!

Of course mom has already pulled out the family tree and shared with me the number of twins in the family. Which is a lot.  We have heard the baby's heartbeat and so far the doctor only found one.  Of course, he was only looking for one which, according to him, is a girl.  I told him there was no way he could know that!  His response?  "That was the most fun I've had all day!"

We are going to get along GREAT.

My Creative Time is Lacking

Every time I think that we're done moving things around in the house I'm wrong.  Today I unpacked the last box which was full of obsolete CDs that are now stored in the basement.  I haven't done anything creative in over a month and it's driving me a bit nutty.  However this will change things.

 

NOW I can get back to making hats.  Huzzah!  Oh, and also cooking.  That's important too...I guess.


We're really lucky that we didn't need to buy much to fill the house.  The only room that needed some furniture was the study.  We had a chair and a bunch of boxes in there for a while.  What a great impression for visitors.  I went searching for a chaise and luckily found the perfect piece.

 I bought it at Home Goods.  It's an $800 chaise that I got for less than $200.  Score!  It fits perfectly with the room and gives me the opportunity to counsel people in comfort.  By comfort I mean I'll be on the chaise and they can sit in the chair.  What??


Tomorrow mom and I are headed out in search of a rug for the room that will partially cover the gorgeous, newly shiny hardwood floor.  Oh, she also bought us a housewarming gift.

This umbrella stand which is great since I have a ton of huge umbrellas.  However the color has to go.  Stay tuned for a spray paint fumes fueled post about this antique umbrella stand.


She also bought a lamp at an antique store, the same place where she got the umbrella stand.  It's...hideous.  Sorry mom!  The shade has fringe on it much like the leg lamp in A Christmas Story.  Now if she had actually bought a leg lamp then heck yes!  It would be put in a place of prominence.  But a fringed lamp with a lace pattern on the lamp stand?  Um, not our style.  I've lost count of how many people she's tried to give it to.  Poor lamp.  She's stuck with it in her studio, a constant reminder that a) you can't decorate other people's homes and b) her life would be easier if she had a cell phone that takes pictures.  Just saying.

Happy Hearts, Happy Home

Oh hey this thing is still on.

Sorry for the lack of posting.  Things have been bananas ever since we closed on the house.  We've spent the past two weeks cleaning, painting, and moving.  Let me give you an idea of what's been going on.

 We started the painting extravaganza in the master bedroom.  Before it was a dark blue/gray color.  This color is called vineyard.  It's a purplish brown shade.  I want the job of coming up with names of paint colors.  Better yet, nail polish colors!  I swear they come up with names by playing mad libs.

 Next we moved onto the entry room, now known as the study because it has books and also because we're sophisticated like that, yo.  Here's a shot taken before we tackled the walls with rollers.  Notice the depressing tannish before color.  Blah.

And now after, complete with two coats of...paint.  I can't remember the name of the color.  Too many fumes.  Just enjoy the bright, calming light blue.

We painted the living room the same shade.

Please note the painters tape still in place.  Also the lawn chair.  At that time we had two and that pretty much was the sum total of our furniture in the house until...

The movers arrived with all our stuff!  Holy crap, hiring movers is the way to go.  These dudes did not mess around.  Wait, that's a lie.  They did lock two of their buddies in the attic.  It was awesome not having to lift anything.  I made a grab for a small piece of furniture just to take it upstairs with me and the guy in charge quickly admonished me for doing so.  My only job was to tell them which room to take stuff.  Awesome.  They had the truck unloaded in a little over an hour.  Moving dudes, I salute you!

We also had an excellent painting crew made up of various family members.  It was great coming downstairs and seeing who had joined the party.  My dad stopped by and asked, "mind if I paint?"  Mind?  MIND?!?  Hereisarollerpleasestartovertherebeforeyourealizewhatyou'resaying.

Since the movers came life has consisted of getting things unpacked and into their new, proper place.  We've officially been living in the house four days now and the only rooms that have some semblance of order are the master bedroom, guest room, and living room shown here with Charlie modeling his yard mowing attire.

I will get back to hat making soon but first I have to find said hat.  Also the stove gets delivered Monday and since I need boiling water to continue with the hat the stove is rather essential. 

There's no way we could have accomplished so much so quickly without the help of our parents aka painting crew/wiring specialists/plumbing experts.  They're so happy to help and ecstatic that we moved closer.  I did get a nice break over the weekend when I went to my niece's baby shower.  Love that girl and am so proud of her.  She's about to pop and is still working at her job where she's on her feet constantly.  Can't wait to be a great auntie again!

Happy Homeowners

Hey, look what we got last Thursday!

After a marathon session of signing papers we were finally handed the keys to our new house.  Which we are not renting.  We are actual home owners!  It felt really good to check the box marked "owner" instead of "renter" on various utilities contact forms.

I couldn't be happier, especially knowing that it's home for me and the love of my life.  I can't wait to start a family and fill the house with many years of happy memories.  It's funny how things come full circle.  I've loved Charlie since we met at the summer camp where we both worked in 1995 and for close to three years we've been making dreams come true for each other.  This new chapter of our life is another dream come true.

So for the past week I've been cleaning the new house and putting away the fragile stuff we don't want to entrust to the movers.  Plus I'm not alone in the cleaning and painting departments.  My mom is helping with the cleaning and my mother-in-law is bringing her expert painting skills to transform some rooms.  We're so lucky that we have such supportive families and that they get along so well.  I'm looking forward to hosting many holidays and parties at our house.  God knows we have the room for it!

Of course I'll post a house tour featuring all the oddities we've found in the house.  And if you have any idea why the sellers put a lock on the attic door which enables us to lock people INSIDE the attic, please let me know.  Weirdos.

Cloche Hat 2: Progress!

And I'd happily show you the progress if I could find the hat in the sea of moving boxes that has become our current home.  We close on the house this week y'all.  And it has all come together really, really fast.  It seems like the mortgage and title companies got everything they needed on the same day and we were setting up the closing date for less than a week later.  We're actually closing on the house three weeks sooner than planned.  Yay!  So now it's a race to get utilities switched over and work out a moving date with the moving company.  Yes.  We do not have to recruit people to help haul heavy stuff into a Uhaul!  We have actual professional movers.  SO LUCKY.

You don't really care about that, do you?  Fine, here's a couple of pictures just to get you off my back.

Anyway, after the super crappy month that was March I decided I needed a pick me up.  A change.  And what says change better than going red with the hair?

That picture was taken the day the deed was done.  Also in a brightly lit place.  Bye bye brunette.  It has calmed down a bit.

Taken in a low light room.  So there you have it.  I don't think I'll be going back to brunette any time soon.  Red is fun.  Also, as an added bonus, it drives my dad bananas.  Muahaha! 

I Lost 15 Pounds in Two Weeks and So Can You! But Don't!

Fifteen pounds in two weeks, you say?  Yes!  It's possible and done in a most horrible, horrible way!  What, you still want to know how?  Okay, loony.

1. Stay in the hospital for a week and gain six pounds from IV fluids.  This was a shocker.  I figured when I was released and got on the scale at home I would have dropped some of those lbs.  Imagine my surprise when I found I'd actually gained six pounds.  Wha?  I guess a week of getting 150-200 ml of IV fluid per hour adds up.

2.  Catch a nasty cold from your spouse/partner/someone you live with.  Charlie picked up a nasty chest cold while staying with me at the hospital which I caught from him after I got home.  No fun.

3.  Live on a diet of Mucinex and cough drops.  Holy poop, Mucinex really does work!  Sure I'm still hacking up a lung but at least all the grossness is getting out of my system.  I hate their commercials tho.  So nasty.  Unfortunately for me medicines like Nyquil and Mucinex, which advertise helping you sleep, have the reverse affect on me.  They make me wired.  And cough drops?  Total appetite suppressant.

4.  Learn to live without your gallbladder.  Some medicinal changes were in order.  Enough said.

So week two post surgery was quite the adventure in misery.  On the plus side my incisions are healing up nicely.  I missed my post-op appointment because of the cold but will see the surgeon this week where he will finally meet my true skin color, uber pale, as opposed to jaundice.  I also had a scary blackout this week which resulted in me falling into the claw foot bathtub.  I don't remember much about it but, luckily, came out with only a few bruises.  I don't recommend losing weight this way to anyone.  I can't wait to get both my strength back and the all clear to start exercising again.  I have to get my moving muscles in shape.

We're supposedly getting another snow storm starting tomorrow night which is par for the course in March.  I am so ready to turn the calendar to April.  March 2013 can suck it.

Cloche Hat 2: Movin' On Up to Fur. Also I HATE BELLY BUTTONS

First and foremost NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THE FUR FELT HOOD.  It's rabbit fur.  No death required.  Just some nice Czechoslovakians brushing bunnies for their fur.  OKAY?  Okay.

For the first cloche hat I blocked the entire thing in one piece.  This time there will be cutting and sewing and pleating and probably other things I haven't thought of yet, but they will occur.  When I was boiling water to soak the hood Charlie came in to the kitchen and said, "Ah.  Fumes.  Again."  Meaning the high inducing felt hat stiffener.  No, no fumes babe.  Just steam.

This hat is a wonderful aubergine shade.  You're going to look at pictures and say, "PURPLE, IT'S PURPLE YOU SNOB!"  But I'm sticking with aubergine because that's the color I ordered.  So meh!  No pinning at the start.  I'm liking this already.

Now I wait for it to dry.  Oh yay, another week of waiting!  Also you are becoming so familiar with our current kitchen.  I can't wait to move into our new place where I will have my own studio.  SWOON.  My parents can't wait either because then they can dump all my childhood paraphernalia on me, including the easel my dad built for me when I was in high school.

I have been out of the hospital for eight days now after a lovely week long stay.  My gallbladder was removed on March 8th.  The surgeon informed me prior to surgery that three small cuts would be made, no biggie.

LIES!

I wasn't prepared for one of those cuts included cutting into my belly button.  I have an extreme phobia about belly buttons that dates back to when I was a kid.  I remember visiting my aunt in her home after a cousin was born.  I volunteered to help change a diaper (stupid eight year old me) and saw the shriveled up end of the umbilical cord attached to what would become my cousin's belly button.  AUGH!  And guess what?  During that diaper change the black, shriveled up umbilical cord end FELL OFF.  Trauma!  Yeah, fine, call it weird or stupid but it's no different from having a phobia about feet or...whatever bodily phobia you have.  Oh!  I also had a drain in my side because some fluid from the pancreatitis  was floating around in there.  Fun!  The day I was released a different surgeon came in to remove the drain WHICH WAS SUNK SIX OR SEVEN INCHES INTO MY BODY.  So glad I had a private room.  Also I almost passed out when the surgeon went into detail about how big the scope was that went into my belly button incision.  I'll stick with counseling, thanks.

So for now I've been ordered to take it easy which is awesome cause it gives me an excuse to pick paint colors for the new abode and dream of hardwood floors as opposed to carpet.  Also I've had too much time to be introspective.  Well, more so than usual.  Also hyper analytical.  I just want to KNOW what makes people tick.  How they come to decisions, make choices, the meaning behind what they share.  Blah.  Psychology.  Anyway being in the hospital made me hyper aware that I hate asking for help.  After surgery the nurse told me to call for help when I needed to use the bathroom.  I only did once and that was because my drain was leaking.

I've been self reliant for a long time and there are probably times when I should ask for help but I don't.  I don't know it it's a pride thing or a long history of asking for help but not receiving it.  So I just don't.  It's really stupid, especially when you have the kind of support system that I do, and that I never, EVER take for granted.  Most of the time asking for help doesn't even cross my mind.  I just do it on my own.  And then afterward when I tell someone what I did they inevitably say, "I would have helped you with that" but honestly?  Asking doesn't even pop into my head.

This is definitely something I need to work on.  Tomorrow a moving company comes to give us an estimate on moving to our new house.  So soon I will be packing.  And cleaning.  But I won't be alone because I WILL ask for help.  Just not with my studio stash.  Thieveseses are everywhere!!

Whatever. I Don't Need It Anyway

Greetings from the hospital.  I'd send you a postcard but the ones in the gift shop aren't that funny.

I was admitted yesterday after a diagnosis of pancreatitis.  I seriously hope you never, ever experience such pain.  The doctor switched me over to morphine for the pain today, but luckily I'm feeling better after a nice surgery that removed 20 gallstones from a duct that was blocking drainage from my pancreas.

I was also informed that my gallbladder needs to take a hike.  The sooner, the better!  I haven't eaten anything since Sunday which really isn't a big deal since I have no appetite.  What REALLY sucks is I can't drink anything either.  I still have to take my meds and I nearly cry with relief when I'm handed a tiny cup of water with which to take the pills.  The occasional cup of ice chips is also amazing.

I would not wish this on my worst enemy.  Much like MS it's something that can't be controlled. At least this time though it's hereditary on my mom's side.  Thanks for this, ancestors!

Cloche Hat Part 3: Fin.

Brace yourself.  This is a long, picture filled post.

Once I was done sewing in the wire for the brim I folded the extra felt over it and sewed it in place.  Then I cut the extra felt off.

Normally the next step would have been to add the embellishments and be finished.  But the hat had some wonky ridges in it that were pissing me off.  Because the hat had to be perfect, you see.  I've inherited a terrible gene from my mother, the family perfectionist.  So, even though this was my first attempt at making something fairly intricate, it still had to be perfect.  Or at least better.

It's a terrible thing to put those kinds of expectations on yourself.  It makes no sense.  But that's the way I'm wired so I did something drastic.  I doused the hat in boiling water again and reblocked it.

It did the trick.  I have to say that the felt hat stiffener DOES NOT MESS AROUND.  When the hat dried the stiffener was still doing its job.  Crazy.

 Once it dried I added a thin strip of burgundy felt around it and a flower I made.  That flower took FOREVER.  But oh, it was worth it!

And now the final product, modeled.

 

Side view.

Just being goofy.

Yes, I'm very happy with it!

Now it's on to the second hat.  This time I'm going to use a fur felt hood made from rabbit fur.  Don't worry, no rabbits were harmed in the making of the hood.  Well, except if the person collecting the fur pulled too hard on the rabbit.  Have you ever heard a rabbit scream?!?  FREAKY.

Addicted

I am obsessed with Local Natives album Hummingbird.  The track Three Months is one of the best expressions of loss I've ever come across.  Check it out, along with the rest of the album.  Lurve!

Cloche Hat Part 2: Well Ventilated Rooms Are Valuable.

Also, we bought a house.  More on that at the end.

The hat FINALLY dried.  I love that the instructions told me to put the hat in my drying closet.  Because everyone has a special closet to dry hats, naturally.  I took the pins out and removed the excess felt.

 

That done, it was time to remove the hat from the hat block.  I'd read that some people had a hard time doing so without ruining the shape of the hat.  Mine slid right off.

Next I had to apply felt hat stiffener to the entire inside of the hat.  I was dubious that it would really help hold the shape of the hat, but I gathered the tools anyway.

Paintbrush?  Check.  Container to hold the liquid?  Check.  Felt hat stiffener?  Check.  This was the first time I opened the bottle of stiffener and HOLY CRAP.  No wonder you're supposed to use it in a well ventilated room!  By the time I was finished coating the inside of the hat I was seeing unicorns playing Candy Land.  The fumes.  The fumes are no joke.

Hat stiffener applied, I put the hat back on the block and waited for it to dry.  THANK GOD it only took an hour.  Yes I'm impatient, especially when it comes to trying something new.  I was completely wrong to doubt the hat stiffener.  It does exactly what it advertises.  Take a look.

Very unfloppy hat.  I salute you, felt hat stiffener!  Maybe the next time I use you I'll get to see who won that game of Candy Land.

The next step is to sew wire onto the brim in order for it to hold its shape.  See wire above.  I had two choices for wire placement.  I could either sew it right to the edge of the brim and then later finish it off by covering it with ribbon OR I could sew it half an inch from the brim and later fold the brim over to cover it.  Originally I was going to use the ribbon method but I didn't like the color of ribbon I ordered at the suggestion of the supply company.  So half an inch in was the only option.

This took A LONG TIME.  You can see the chalk lines I used to measure the half inch so the wire would be even.  Plus sewing thru wool felt and hat stiffener is tough going and takes a long time.  You have to make sure the wire is lined up with the chalk lines so you don't get a wonky brim.  The further along I go with this project, the more respect and understanding I have of people who do this for a living.  There's a reason traditional cloche hats are pricey.  The one that I own was $40 and it doesn't have near the intricacy and detail of of this hat.  Milliners, I salute you!

Now the house.  SQUEE!!!  Our bid was finally accepted on a gorgeous house.  Big rooms, all hardwood floors, a huge tub for long soaks, newly renovated with a lovely deck and back yard.  And a basketball hoop in the driveway!  Love.  House hunting was a long process and the negotiations went on for over a month.  Kudos to our realtor who knows her stuff, made good suggestions, and was ready to walk away at one point with us.  I learned so much about the realty game and know, without a doubt, it's a career I NEVER want.  Too lucrative.

I am keeping my excitement in check though.  We still have to get thru the home inspection.  But still I can't help dream planning paint colors and rugs and furniture.  It will be so nice not to rent anymore.  Fingers crossed.

Cloche Hat, Part 1: Boiling Water is Hot Y'all

And so it begins!  Adventures in hat making.  I am now a milliner.  Alright that isn't necessarily true.  I guess I have to finish a hat before I can officially be a milliner.  Hat maker. 

Anyway let's get started.  You remember my Christmas present from Charlie, yes?

The hat block shown here surrounded by kitchen appliances.  You'll understand why I did this in the kitchen, I swear.  The first thing I had to do was cover the hat block in saran wrap.

Why, you ask? 
A.  So that the hat block doesn't absorb any moisture
B.  So no dye from hood is transferred to the hat block and
C.  Just so I can get frustrated with saran wrap.  I hate that stuff!

One must also wear special protective gear during the hat blocking process!  IT IS ESSENTIAL.

Specifically an apron and rubber gloves.  Aren't my rubber gloves fantastic and stylish?  I can feel your envy.  Before I block another hat though I need to get a different apron.  One that is waterproof so as to avoid looking like I'm ready to enter a wet tshirt contest.

Here's what you make the hat out of.

 Charming, right?  That is a 100% wool hood.  You have to buy them like this.  I look like Dumb Donald from the Fat Albert cartoon, except he could actually see.

The next step was to saturate the hood with boiling water.  This is where the rubber gloves came in handy.  Once it was saturated I took it out of the water, squeezed out the excess, and put it on the hat block.

Then it's just a matter of pulling the hood downward until it is snug against the block.  Once that's done I used the rubber tubing to hold it in place so any more tugging wouldn't mess up the crown.

The last step was pulling the hood down and pinning it underneath the brim section of the hat block.

This is where the waterproof apron would have come in handy.  You use your upper body as leverage against the top of the hat block as you tug a section of the hood down and then pin it underneath the crown.  Here's the entire hat pinned.

Now all I had to do was wait for it to dry.
Wait for it to dry...
Wait for it to dry...
Wait for it to dry...

Still waiting.

Hats!

Hey!  A picture filled post!  Let's start with some Christmas pics.

Since I said I would post some forever ago.

Also I finished knitting the Everdeen Hat.

Now for the new way of hat making!  For the past two years I've gotten interested in making cloche hats.  What's a cloche hat, you ask??

That's a cloche hat!  But they aren't sewn or knitted.  They're made with a hat block.  Again, are you asking wha????

That's a hat block!  Charlie got it for me for Christmas.  It's a three piece set and I'll be able to order different hat tops and brims from the company in London.  Next post will be all about getting started making my first cloche hat, which requires saran wrap, boiling water and rubber tubing.  Kinky!