'wxyz'

W is for...

Water. I drink lots and lots of water. It needs to be really cold (with lots of ice!) and I need a straw, or I spill it all over myself. Speaking of water...
Remember how I said I'd never take my new grass for granted? Well, ummmm... we got the first water bill for the new sod (you know how you have to water it twice a day when it's first laid?) Okay, brace yourself: $748.85 - oh my god! They must be pumping bottled water through our sprinkler system. Or maybe it's studded with gold. Nope, I just checked. It's just regular old water. And lots of it.

W is also for Wainwright, Rufus: I love him. He apparently put on quite a show here at Ravinia a couple of weeks ago - in full drag. I'm so sorry I missed it!

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X is for:

X-acto knife: One of my favorite tools. I especially like those that pivot.

X-rays: My son had some chest x-rays taken last year when he had pneumonia, and he thinks they're the coolest things ever! He calls them the pictures of his bones. He took them to school for show and tell. I'm thinking of putting a light box in his room for them.

XM Radio: I seriously dig it. I especially love this 'program' although that term seems a bit too formal here.

XOXO: I always end my posts with xoxo as a lovey signoff. It seems too weird to just end a paragraph and walk away. We need the xoxo to transition us. Like, okay now I'm leaving....
See you later.... One more hug? Okay, NOW I'm leaving.

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Y is for:

You tube: good stuff awaits there.

Yarn: I used to knit when I was a little girl. My grandma was (still is) a big knitter, and when I was in elementary school, she came in and taught my whole school how to knit. I could still cast on and do something really really basic, but that wouldn't do the art any justice. It's on my list to learn how to really knit.

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Z is for:

Zoo. We're going to a fall fest tonight here in our new little town. It's apparently a big production around here, and it looks like it's going to be a madhouse. I'll bring the camera and hope for some good carnie photos with the kids.

---

So now we've sung our ABC's - Next time won't you sing with me? Thanks for playing, lovelies!

xoxo

'tuv'

T is for:

... Trees: Aren't they amazing? I'm so fascinated by trees. They're so lovely, and provide so much for us: a nice shady patch in which to picnic, leaves to rake up and dive into, wood to build our houses, (am I sounding a little influenced by The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein?) ummm ... oxygen. You should go hug a tree right now.

I was at Melissa's today taking pictures of her pottery for an upcoming art show (of hers, not mine), and I used this big, beautiful tree as a display fixture.... until my allergies got the best of me and I was sent packing. And sneezing. And blowing and blowing and blowing my nose. Yuck.

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U is for...

Us Weekly: My favorite guilty pleasure. I used to get a subscription, but that damn trash rag comes once a week, and therefore seems a bit spendy when you get billed a year at a time. It was my mistake to not renew the subscription, though, because now I have to buy it at the store. Which is embarrassing, because it's a dirty trashy magazine. That I love and have to have to read in the bathtub. And now it costs me three times more than if I just subscribed to it. Damn those celebs for being so intriguing!

Speaking of which, another guilty pleasure of mine is Go Fug Yourself. If you haven't read this blog, you really have to go check it out right now - it's the funniest thing out there, along with Flight of the Conchords (oh great, now you have to go check them out, too!). But please come back, because I'm not done with my alphabet yet!

U is also for underpants: Those silly garments my son refuses to wear. Okay, well now he'll wear them to school, but he comes home every day and goes straight to the bathroom and prompty removes his spiderman/batman/superman underwear and leaves them to rest wherever they have been flung. That's my boy.

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V is for...

Victoria Magazine. I also used to have a subscription to this magazine. Until they went and stopped publishing it without notifying me and turned my remaining pre-paid issues into a subscription to Health Magazine, or some other hooey like that.
So when I first got a postcard announcing "That's right, your best friend is back!"... "and better than ever", I was initially excited. I was so forlorn when the magazine went under. But then excitement gave way to ambivilance (Does my style still correspond with those denoted in the pages of Victoria magazine?), which gave way to anger. One free issue? You people owe ME!! So now I'll probably not subscribe out of revenge (THAT'LL SHOW THEM!) and then buy the issue on newstands so that they can make three times more off of me (less ten percent with my Barnes and Noble Member Card - ha!). Blast my magazine addiction!

V is for Violet... a darling name, a lovely color, an edible flower. What more could you want?

xoxo

'qrs'

Q is for...

Quiltology: my favorite Chicago quilt shop. I stopped in yesterday when we were downtown for the Bucktown Art Fair, and bought way too much fabric-y goodness:





This was in addition to the fabric I had already bought on Friday:

and my super awesome estate sale find: a set of vintage Marimekko sheets (my brother had the same set with matching wallpaper and trash can):

I'm looking for a clever use for these sheets. Any suggestions??

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R is for...

Rejection. I promised I'd let you know about the DIY Trunk Show, and the results are grim. It seems that I have not yet been rejected, but have been put on a "short waiting list." Which means I have to sit and bite my nails for three more weeks, and then get rejected. I'm actually very okay with this, and my husband is downright relieved. Although I did really well at that very same show last year, the organizers wouldn't be aware of my sales, and I did feel a little out of place there anyways. Like I wasn't quite subversive enough, you know? Like maybe if I used my darling vintage-inspired and thrifted fabrics to create, say, a nice dildo cozy instead of an infants onesie, then I'd probably be in. I'm just saying.

R is for Rhubarb. I came across this term while doing a totally unrelated thesaurus search a few months back. In this usage, the term 'rhubarb' is synonymous with a disagreement, as well as:
altercation, beef*, bickering, bone, brawl, broil, brouhaha, commotion, conflict, contention, controversy, debate, disagreement, discord, discussion, dissension, disturbance, embroilment, falling-out, feud, fireworks*, flare-up, fracas, friction, fuss, hoo-ha, hubbub, miff*, misunderstanding, polemic, quarrel, rhubarb, row, rumpus*, squabble, squall, strife, tiff, uproar, variance, words, wrangle

Please don't start a rhubarb with me. Because I'll take you down.

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S is for...

Silhouettes: love them.



... Snow Globes: yet. another. random. collection. of mine. Has my list of collections grown tedious yet? My snow globe collection is in it's infancy. So far, I only have San Francisco, London, and hmmm.... I guess that's all I have.

...Sociology: Did you know I have a degree in Sociology? I focused on crime and deviance. I have lots and lots of books on serial killers and the mob. White collar crime doesn't interest me at all. Nothing gets me going like some good crime.
I had originally planned to go on to law school or into social services, but instead became a stay at home mommy who crafts and sews and blogs.

... Sewing:
I had a really productive sewing week! I made, among other things, a new fall bag from Amy Karols "Bend the Rules Sewing" book. Oh look, I just happen to have a picture of it here!

(bad picture. cute bag!)

xoxo

ps: I forgot this:

S is also for Storm: I'm sure you saw the coverage of the huge storms we've had here in Chicago. This is the view of one rolling up on us (the picture is actually in color - just very black):

'lmnop'

L is for...

a whole Lotta love:
I've been meaning to make this doorstop for some time now, and finally got around to it last night.

We have a steam shower, and I wanted something to prop open the door to let it air out when not in use, to reduce the risk of growing all manner of nasty things that could thrive in that humid environment.
It was super easy, and turned out really nice, but I think it came out much bigger than intended. I was supposed to use a five bound bag of beans to fill this sucker, but ended up needing a whole ten pounds of rice (and there's still a little room left over):

But, All of that rice will come in terribly handy if we ever find ourselves locked in the bathroom with nothing to eat, and only hot water to cook with.

L is also for...
Lemonade. When I go to Minnesota, I always eat at the Good Earth, my most favorite restaurant in the whole wide world (and please excuse the fact that I now think and write sentences like Junie B Jones). There, they serve something called "whole lemonade" which is, essentially, a whole lemon juiced (rhind and all) with a granny smith apple and served all foamy and chartreuse. It's amazing. I highly recommend it to any who would ask for such a recommendation.

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M is for...

Minnesota: my home town

Maps: something I love and collect and need to actually study more often. Maps make lovely, colorful, inexpensive decor, too.

Minivan: My minivan rocks. I never ever thought those words would come out of my mouth, but with two kids and two big dogs, and the thrill of the hunt (flea marketing and such), my minivan is heavenly. Plus then there's the GPS (which I rely on to get EVERYWHERE), the dvd player for the kids, the butt warmer for the winter...and all that cargo room. I love my minivan!

Mail: I love to get honest to goodness old fashioned mail. You should send me some. Or, if you email me your address, I'll send you a postcard. I promise.

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N is for...

NPR. I'm a card carrying member of Chicago Public Radio. This is my favorite program. You can find your local station here. You will be happy that you did.

N is also for Nurse, School: My daughter discovered the school nurse today. Apparently, she went twice this morning for a "headache." The nurse put Olivia on the phone with me and we talked it through (i.e. 'if I have to come pick you up from school we are going straight to the doctor's office, not coming home and watching tv and fluffing your pillows and making milkshakes). She went back to class. Thank god I didn't have to go pick her up, or she'd be pulling this business once a week.

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O is for....

Oilcloth. Doesn't it just make you all happy to see swatches of brilliantly patterned oilcloth? You can use it for so many different things. I've made lunchbags for the kids out of it, as well as baby bibs, placemats, and splatmats for messy projects. Then you just wipe that bad boy down and you're all set:

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P is for....

Pesto, fresh from the garden:




(can you believe all that basil? I grew 11 kinds this year - all from seed). We're big on pesto around here.

...Paint by Numbers: another of my random collections. I love them!

...Printmaking: Alas, my college printmaking class didn't work out this semester, but I've still got my gocco - and I still have plans to actually take it out of the box and make something with it.

...Patchwork: a recently added favorite pastime of mine. Is that how you spell pastime? I'm going to have to look that up.

So that is how you spell it then. Looking things up on Websters is also a new favorite pastime.

xoxo

'k'

K is for...

Oh my god! My baby boy is off to Kindergarten!!!!

He was so cute this morning.... off to school with his big sister. What will I do with all of the "free time"? I'm feeling a little pressure, like now my house should be spotless and the laundry should be folded, and there should be fresh-baked cookies on the counter when the kids get home from school. I'm sure that will happen eventually, but for today, I sew and I blog and I work out on my elliptical.... and I think about how time flies so fast that one day your baby boy goes off to kindgergarten with his big boy backpack and his very own lunchbox.

'j'

J is for...

... and Jack, a popular name around here. My husband and my son are both 'Jacks', but the younger one is not a Junior, just another Jack. He has a different middle name.

... Jessie. That's me. I've always had a little trouble with my name. Jessica sounded too formal for me; Jess sounds to sporty, and Jessie's a little young-ish. I invented some curious ways of spelling my name in my younger days (Jessi, Jessye), but have now settled into a nice, comfortable Jessie.
In college, upon meeting a stranger at a bar, I was usually greeted with song: "I wish that I had Jesse's girl"... Very cute, but in that song, Jesse was a boy or a lesbian, and I am neither. Not that there's anything wrong with boys or lesbians...
My friend Melissa always greets me with a "JESSIE!" from a song that we know only the words "and Jessie..." and then have to hum the rest. At least she's got a cool song by the Allman Brothers in her name.

... J is also for Joelle Jolivet, whose books I have just discovered for my son Jack. They're pretty awesome, if you ask me:




... J is for Jellybeans. I think I'm one of the few people in the world that actually likes black jellybeans. In fact, they're the only jellybeans I like. I buy the all-black bags of jellybeans. I also love black licorice. And Sambuca, which tastes like black licorice.

... J is for Jumprope. Olivia's working on double-dutch. It was never my game, but I sure do like the rhymes that go along with it: "Cinderella, dressed in yella, went downstairs to kiss a fella...."

xoxo

'i'

I is for....
... and What fun - not only is it a letter, it's also a word:
–pronoun

1.	the nominative singular pronoun, used by a speaker in referring to himself or herself.

–noun

2.	(used to denote the narrator of a literary work written in the first person singular).

3.	Metaphysics. the ego.

A lot of people use the word "I" where they should really use "me" because "I" sounds better. That's naughty. And those people need a good talking-to about that.

... and Imports:

... and Ironing: something I do for craft purposes only. I don't iron any clothes for actual wear. This is why the iron resides in my office, and not in my laundry room.

... Impatience: Something I'm really good at. I'm always gogogo! I love it when my kids literally stop and smell the flowers, and I try to appreciate the moment, but then we're back to GOGOGO! We're going to be late!!!! I can't stand being late and feel disrespected when others are late to meet me.

...Iguanadon: We know lots about dinosaurs around here.

...Itchy: my eyes are driving me crazy. It must be allergy season already.


xoxo

'h'

H is for...

Home
(and a brief glimpse into mine):

"There is nothing half so pleasant as coming home again."
~ Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

xoxo

'g'

G is for...

"Gogs"

That's Lola on the left and Gracie on the right.
We call them our "gogs" because that's how Jackie used to pronounce "dogs" (as in, "oh, boy - we got a gog" when we brought Gracie home, and later - after one of Gracie's many disappearance acts - "well I guess we don't have a gog anymore - come on Tent (his friend, Kent), let's go get a popsicle."

I always feel guilty when people ask if we adopted them from a shelter. The answer is no. I wanted a puppy that was trainable, could be raised with my kids, and that didn't have a murky past. I feel so bad for mistreated and neglected animals, and totally support shelters, but I was more concerned about my children, and so we went the more commercial route of dog adoption (but no puppy mills!!).

A year after we brought Gracie home, we happened upon Lola. Gracie and Lola are unrelated but act like mother and daughter and are totally distraught when not in the others' presence. We used to say we got Gracie a gog.

My husband teases me because I always said I wasn't really a dog person. Now he walks into a room and finds me snuggling them on the floor and just laughs at me and says, "not a dog person, huh?"

Yep, those are some fine bitches I've got there.

G is also for...

...Glass, Ira: the iconic host of Chicago Public Radio's This American Life. Love him. I even get the podcast.

...Grass (sod): When you build a new house, you wait for your landscaping. And wait and wait and wait. I will never ever take our lawn for granted.

...Globes: I'm sure it's surprising that someone who collects globes, as I do, would have such poor knowledge of geography. But it's the truth.

...Green: One of my favorite colors. I especially like green m&m's. My sweet friend Elorie brought me back packages of green-only m&m's from M&M World in Florida.

...Gifts: I think I like to give presents more than I like receiving them (and that's a lot).

...Grandma: My 88 year old grandma Ruthie is going to ask one of her friends at her senior living community to help her with the computer so she can look at this here blog. How sweet is that? I love Ruthie.

xoxo

'f'

F is for...

Fabric:

Fabric:

Fabric:

and Fabric:

I just started working on my fabric stash in earnest this past year. To non-sewers, I'm sure these piles are impressive. But to quilters, this stash may be a good beginning.

I find it really hard to find fabric I like. Locally, I shop thrift stores and flea markets for fabric remnants or anything I could cut up for its fabric (sheets, tablecloths, dresses). I shop at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Hancock for the basics, like Guterman thread and cotton flannel. But for the good stuff, I have to go online. Here are some of my favorite online fabric shops:

Purl Patchwork
Sew Mama Sew
Cia's Pallette
Kitty Craft
Superbuzzy
ReproDepot

That should be enough to get you started, right?

xoxo

'e'

E is for...

... Entertaining:

(perfect cupcakes for a perfect baby shower this past Sunday).

... Embroidery:

(and a belated 'thank you' to Heather for the sweet patterns she transferred for me)

... and of course, Embroidery floss:
(the most fun 29 cents can buy anywhere)

...E is also for Elevensies, a midmorning snack, which should not be confused with Elevenses, the Anthropologie brand, which I also adore.

...E-mail:
I love love love to get stuff in the mail, but email? Not so much. I never forward those damn things along, I can't open most attachments, or won't open others, do not respond to solicitations, won't print the coupons or try to remember special offer codes, and will not help anyone to wire money from foreign accounts, no matter how dire their situation,
"thank you very much kindly."
I do like to receive the comments from this blog that get forwarded to my email. So comment away, I promise I love it! I'll even respond if you allow me to see your email address! Otherwise, drop me a postcard in the mail. Or a present! I love presents!

...Etsy:
God bless Etsy. Amen.

xoxo

'd'

D is for...


... the Dessert Cart in the suite at the White Sox game last night. My husband and I were invited for a business thingee last night in one of the guest suites at Comiskey Park. I know it's now "the Cell", and I have no personal ties to Comiskey Park, but my husband's family does, so I will continue to call it 'the old Comiskey.' Anyways... I think that baseball has been ruined forever for me now. Because now I know that the real way to see baseball is from an air-conditioned fully stocked bar - buffet - clean bathroom down the hall- suite. With a dessert cart that rolls by and features things like:

Signature Six Layer Carrot Cake

Chocolate Paradis

Big Snickers® Pie

Gourmet Dessert Bars

Chicago-Style Cheesecake

Giant M&M Candy Apples

Butterfinger® Crunch Cake

Bavarian Apple Pie

Chocolate Pecan Turtles

Giant Cookies

Assorted Candies

Orange Dreamsicle Cheesecake

Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake

And of course, edible chocolate liqueur cups filled with your

choice of Baileys Irish Cream, DiSaronna Amaretto, Grand

Marnier and Starbucks Coffee Liquor

ohmygodohmygodohmygod. where to begin with the desserts? I chose the carrot cake and accompanied it with a decaf coffee and baileys. Baseball? What baseball?



...the DIY Trunk Show.

I've been keeping this on the d/l for a few weeks now, but I went ahead and applied for the DIY Trunk Show again this year. I went last year, and actually did really well at the show, but I guess I had kind of sworn off doing that kind of thing. But I've been too lazy to list my stuff on Etsy, and I thought this might give me a little push in the actual positive-cash-flow direction. Not that it really matters if I make any money. I make stuff for the love of it, people (for the love!). But it's always nice to get out there and meet other crafty folks, and it feels good for the old psyche to sell your handmade wares. That is, if I get accepted this year (I'll find out next week).


Sorry I'm a little behind on the alphabet, and perhaps my posts are a little sparse, but I'm getting ready to host a baby shower at my house this weekend, and almost every little detail has turned into a disaster. So, you know, that'll keep a girl busy. Hope your weekend is lovely.

xoxo

'c'

C is for...

... crayons. There's just nothing like cracking open a brand new box of crayons (school supplies are among my favorite things in life):

... color:

... coffee (where oh where would I be without you?):

... and cupcakes (did you just hear the angels singing?):


xoxo

'b'

B is for.....

... Batting (100% cotton)

... Bibs (and a matching onesie) -- a quick gift I stitched up this afternoon for my massage therapist's soon- t0-be- baby girl. Don't even get me started on the benefits of regular massage therapy!

... Baking. I think that people either like to bake or they like to cook. Well, maybe they like both, but they excel at one or the other. Baking is much more precise, measured.... best fit for a Type A like me, I guess. I mean, I can cook - I just choose not to. I'm not even all that interested in food. But dessert? Yes. I'll have seconds, please.

... Ballyhoo: just a darn fun word to use (I also really like 'debacle', but that is, of course, certainly not a B word). I sometimes peruse the dictionary looking for good words.

xoxo

'a'

A is for....

... Allen, Lily: Alright, Still - One of my current favorite cd's.

... my personality type. Do you think you have a Type A personality, too? Take this quiz to find out.

... Anthropologie, my all-time, hands-down, favorite retail establishment.

... Amelie, one of my all-time, hands-down, favorite movies ever.

... A Tree Grown in Brooklyn and A Confederacy of Dunces, two books that would usually be categories by their first non-'A' word, but will, for these purposes be listed here. They are two of my favorites.

... Art night, a totally random night, usually occurring monthly, where any number of girls get together in Melissa's barn and made totally random art or craft. This past Friday, I worked on ceramic tiles. I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's good to have a friend with a kiln. And a friend with a kiln that also grows fresh mint for awesome mojitos? I shall say no more.

xoxo

my abc's

I bought this book called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal a couple of years ago. Publisher's Weekly sums up the book quite well:

"Rosenthal likes lists: of low points in her life, codes that people memorize, sounds that seem loud though they're actually quiet. She loves inadvertently mysterious signs, like this public restroom gem: " PLEASE DO NOT FLUSH EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF TOILET PAPER OR SHOES DOWN THE TOILET. THANK YOU." She's collected some wonderful words like "flahoolick"(meaning generous and expansive) and "wabi-sabi" (which seamlessly fuses two moods), as well as some pairs of oddly similar words like applause and applesauce. But what to do with all this trivia? Why, frame it all around some lists of childhood memories and career milestones, alphabetize it and—voilà—she's assembled something like a memoir."

Since I started this blog, I've often thought about creating an alphabetical sequence of posts that somewhat mimics Ms. Rosenthal's Encyclopedia. So imagine my delight when I discovered that Pip over at Meet Me at Mike's is following Bella Dia's lead in doing just that...an Encyclopedia of Me MeMe....and I'm going to play along!

So, for the next 26 (business) days, I'll be sharing some very pertinent information with you covering topics from -literally - a to z. I'd love for you to play along, too! Please feel free to share right here in the comments section, or let me know if you're doing this on your own blog, so I can follow along with you. I will begin with the letter 'a' on Monday, August 6th.

Happy weekending!

xoxo

(quiet)

I am....

...thinking of all the families who lost someone in Minnesota yesterday, and of how terrifying it would be to have experienced a bridge collapse. Images of the school bus on the bridge stain my thoughts, even as I sigh in relief knowing that those children made it off the bus safely.

....so thankful that my family members were not on the 35w bridge yesterday when it collpsed. My mom, my dad, and my brother drive on that bridge every day. Both my brother and my dad should have been on that bridge at that time if they had not changed their plans.

...filled with gratitude that I was able to contact my family via email when all the phone lines were down.

...Quiet for today.