Katie got an iPhone this weekend

I'm not one to generally cave to the pressures to have more and fall all the trends and norms of society; however I'm already in love.   How did I ever live without this???  It's early christmas. 

Random pics I've already taken.

more on the thanksgiving roadtrip tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Momo!

Wishing my mom a super amazing birthday. I'm so thankful for you and so proud of how far you've come and what you've done in the last year it's amazing.  I can't wait to celebrate with you today with a trip to the museums and amazing day in the city. xoxo

Image from here.

Roadtripping for the Holiday

here's to hoping that I can blog from the road or at least from this place...

see you soon.

Richard Pope White 1922-2010

Sending out more hugs and prayers to the White, Kelly, Deshler Families, especially to my grandma's sister Ila.

Ruth White Kelly 1928-2010

She made dresses my mom and aunts used to wear

She could fly a plane before she could drive a car

She thought the UP was one of the best places on earth (and I agree)

She recylced aluminum foil long before being green was cool

She might have been the worlds best knitter

She used to listen to records in her dad's office

She made her kids doll clothes and stuffed animals

She could name more silver patterns than I knew existed

She loved to swim

She listened to NPR

She used to feed 6 mouths on a tight budget

She taught us to make thimbleberry jam

She drank her coffee black

She loved chocolate but might have liked shrimp more it's a toss up

We'll miss you grandma!  xoxo

Below photos from the Jones and Co Photo Project.

Ruth's the baby her sister is on the left.

Grandma's senior photo - grandpa carries this in his wallet

with baby stuart

on the beach in the UP

at my parents wedding she made mom's dress

In Oxford with some dog 1939

I think this is a fun pic this even though it's blurry 1968

Eagle Harbor with Melvin and Muriel Kelly

It's sad how things work out

18 years ago we moved next door to this guy and his family

16 years ago he was best friends with Jono

16 years ago I used to babysit him and his siblings

9 years ago he helped us move my mom

We all went our separate ways - even Jono and him lost touch

2 weeks ago he came back into our lives to help us move my mom again

 His life wasn't easy in the time that had passed

But he fit right back in with us it was like time didn't matter

We were going to invite him to our thanksgiving

Yesterday he was killed in a car accident

Rest in Peace Jesse

It's sad how things work out sometimes, how different peoples lives go in different paths, and you wonder how did that happen.  Our thoughts and prayers are with your family especially your two young daughters.

Tuesday Tutorial - How to Title or Start Your Sisters College Papers

My sister likes to complain about all this writing she has to do for her college english class.  it's like a daily occurrence that she's complaining apparently she has to write a paper each day.  Anyhow I like to offer to help her out by coming up with a awesome title or ways to hook in the readers and I thought I would share my wonderful insight - because I think it's awesome and it's much more clever than her first titles.  So here's your tutorial this could also be applied toward interesting blog titles or twitter posts.

Option 1: 

1. Determine what the paper is about: 

Example:  She says "millennium goals"

2. Dissect this theme (use a thesaurus if needed):

Example:  goals = things to achieve, items to take action on, targets, aspire, design, pushing limits

               millennium = new age, generation x, interval

3. Assemble the dissection options into something interesting:

Example:  Searching for New Age Achievements

Hitting the Next Generation Target

Designing Aspiration for the Millennium

Millennium + Shooting for the Stars = A Paper about the Next Generation Aspirations

4. Select one. 

Option 2: 

1. Determine what the paper is about: 

Example:  She says "my autobiography"

2. List things completely UNRELATED:

Example:  Pirates, Socks, Transylvania, Poisonous Frogs, Kickball, Water Bottle Recyling, Tall Super Models, Wallpaper, Soccer, Dishwashing,

3. Cluster these into an interesting statement:

Examples: Dishwashing Pirates

tall super models wallpapered transylvania

Water bottle recycling kickball team in Transylvania

4. Add this interesting statement to another statement similar to one of these "This has nothing to with ____________________",  "Things couldn't be better if ___________________", "__________________ never happened.": 

Examples:  This has nothing to do with dish-washing pirates. 

Things couldn't be better if tall super models wallpapered Transylvania.

The water bottle recycling kickball team in Transylvania never happened.

5. Select the most hooking version.

Results = super awesome title or way to start your paper - almost makes me wish I was back in college writing papers - well NSM, I'll stick with blogging.

Weekend Recap

 So a mini recap from the weekend here... 

Alyssa came to visit (so did Justin who left his gear but he lives close by).

I washed12 towels that I had been accumlating in both bathrooms.

Lita got her hair did (it was a tad pricey in my opinion however she loves it).

I watch Nell and Little Miss Sunshine

I got to wear moccasins all weekend oh and I wore these groovy socks my grandma made (I wish she made them for my feet in particular as if I wear them without shoes they slide off.

 We talked about the kitchen remodel

We found a new spot in the city.  Homeless people lived there.

 I went and got my oil changed.

I did a little thrifting and got some new frames for the photo wall.

 I made quiche for brunch and it was a big hit even an egg-hater liked it.

 Strawberry milk was drunk

 Jono made us lettuce wraps from his Asian cookbook - they were yummy.

He also made us lions head meatballs from the same cookbook - yup that's bok choy!  Also yummy although less Asian than we would like.

More Asian cooking coming up soon as we are going to an event at the international market next weekend.  More soon...

What Time Is It?

Everytime it's daylight savings day. I'm perpetually confused about what the heck time it is in the morning. I'm not entirely sure why this is so hard for me.  Perhaps it's a combination of living in Indiana for so long, or maybe it's because I'm not really good at reading a regular clock, or that I'm just not that preoccupied with what time it is.  Who knows but this morning here I am again confused trying to determine if my gadgets have already changed time or if it's really 10:23 am?

Speaking of clocks and time - I've always had this desire to have a cuckoo clock - you know the kind that things move and it makes noises during some time.  I don't think this is recommended when you have a 900 square foot house and two roommates but perhaps sometime.

Curved Squares

Okay so I don't need any more projects right now - I need to finish the unfinished however - I spied these today and I'm thinking that I need to make some curved squares. isn't it curvy? you can see the tutorial here.

Happy Birthday Uncle Paul

I know you don't really read my blog but Aunt Thea does. So happy 60th!

Image Source.

Coming Soon - Shameless Blog Promotional Tour

I need to work on my Big 4.  Last month my friend Kelli gave me a gift for #2 Blog Promotion and I procrastinated and/or got busy with living life.  But this month I'm going to get back on track with the BIG 4 and the "smaller 52".  And I'm going to start with the Shameless Blog Promotional Tour which is #2 on my BIG 4.  So I've been creating promotional materials and coming soon you'll see them in action.  This should be good fun.

And for the record that is not blurry it just uploaded that way.

Quilting Bee & Soup

I think I might have mentioned that my quilting guild is doing a quilting bee. Where each month is someone's month? Ringing any bells?  Well anyhow last month Corinne asked for Flying Geese - and here's the block I made for her - I clearly need a little practice on Triangles I don't think I've made any since high school.  But I wanted to do something less traditional since we are the "Modern" quilt guild. 

October was my month.  I wanted mine in the Stacked book squares - which I think is going to be super cool when I get everyone back.   I was super late sending them out the fabrics, but I already have a few back - this is Rachael's.

And I had my Aunt Thea play too - and this is hers. 

And yesterday Jono made us Italian Wedding Soup - using this recipe minus the spinach.  I added garlic salt to mine to make it more "Italian" but it was pretty good even without that.  It looks funky in the bowl but it didn't taste funky - the meatballs were a nice touch.

A Senior (not of the senior citizen variety that is)

Lita and her friend Stephen asked if I would take senior photos, this most likely sponed from me taking Lita's last year to save momo a little money.  Anyhow I said I would since I like to help people and he had done lots of heavy lifting in the downsizing move.  And so off we went with my camera with a dying battery (the charger was at home).  I managed to get a handful of decent shots although I'm in no way a professional photography - I'll leave that to the Jodie's and Val's as I really can only use one setting Auto on my fancy camera. Thanks to Jono for his assistance as the assistant next time we do a project like this we should remember to have the charger for the camera.  Anyhow here are a few of my favorite shots taken.