First dress!

I found a pattern on burdastyle called maryy and printed it out immediately. And, two days later, here we are!

Full set of pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessyratfink/sets/72157621221505391/

Headboard is finally done!

Right now it's in the basement drying from the polyurethane coating I put on it earlier. I'll be hanging it tomorrow. It took me forever to actually sit down and do it... I've had all the pieces forever!

This is going to look so good!

Jogging and making!

Embroidered picture frames for my mom! Full how-to at instructables!




Full how-to at instructables!

And two bags - one for my mom and one for me. The one for mom sadly messed up in the wash, though - I bought the lining fabric years ago and forgot it was dry clean only. Wasn't strong enough to hold up at the seams. :(

Oh well! Live and learn and make more!

The rest of my time recently has been spent babysitting my nephews and cooking with my mom - I went home for a week and it was great! Now I'm back in Louisville and back to work.

I'm taking up jogging again too. Trying to do a half mile every other day and building up from there. In the past I've ran too fast and too far in the beginning and burned myself out. This time I'm going to be responsible with it.

I'd really like to be able to run/jog a few miles. It's something I've never been able to do. I can ride a bike forever, but my stubby little legs don't take well to running!

Up late, realization of not posting, stuff.

I guess I should get on with it, then.

For tonight, I'd like to remind all of you that Andy Samberg is hot. I will post about productive things in the morning. I have made things. I have. Promise.

When you love something you mark yourself with it forever.

Or until the next day.
We got temporary Pokemon tattoos in so I gave myself a full sleeve.
These newfangled ones don't stay on very long though. I had to remove them this morning because they'd mostly rubbed off.

Pokemon sheets! Yay!

Help us, Agatha Christie!

I came to work one morning many months ago to find a severed tiger head behind the toilet in the ladies' restroom. Sure, it's a stuffed tiger. And it can be taken out of inventory.

But it's a very ultraviolent thing to see when you first get to work. Instead of blood spatter there were bits of fuzz everywhere.

I forgot that I took pictures of this.

If you weren't convinced a bookstore is a forsaken and basically insane place to work I hope this helps you along. Unless you like severed heads. Then by all means, go for it!

Nicolas, Patron Saint of the Buy Counter.

We are no longer in his presence and now the buy counter sucks. I bet if he was still there people wouldn't yell at us as much.

Classic literature is for losers!

I took pictures of the awesomeness Nathan and I created today at work... which sold not 20 minutes later, I'm told. ;)

We realized we had a cube FULL of Cliffs Notes, which apparently never sell. And are never run out to the shelves, I guess. So Nathan ran them out and made a flat of the rest. I also suggested "bundles of knowledge" but they just ended up being recycled instead of bundled.

Can you tell I was being a little snarky on the label?

This is what happens when parents tell you they need Pride and Prejudice - the movie, the book, and the Cliffs Notes.

I am a bitter old lady!

Heart disease PSA!

Ah, poop! I said the line wrong AGAIN!

Today I am filming and editing the first ever video I've taken of myself. Creepy!

I don't like the way I look when I talk, but I suppose that's unavoidable. :P

Can I just say that I love iMovie? This is not as hard as I thought it would be. Might I also add that I make some terrible faces when I screw up? It's pretty awesome. Having a million little thumbnails of yourself making awful faces is pretty entertaining.

Here's a link to the video if any of ya'll are interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX4yivoupio

It's still snowing!

I had to park my car about a 1/4 of a mile away from the apartment last night and walk because the streets are still terrible. I ice skated home, basically. All of the snow is becoming compacted and getting really slick. 

I'm wondering if I'll be able to get my car out this morning, which is silly, because I managed to make it to work yesterday after Jeff dug my car out. :P

Also - no boots or shovels in sight. I guess the rest of Louisville was thinking the exact same thing. Whoops!

We're also growing some extremely badass icicles on the back porch. If Stephenie Meyer shows up, I'm ready.

Working out...

With Cher!

Today is abs day, and I was feeling not so excited about doing it. This Cher workout video is my abs inspiration.

It came into work and I got so excited about it (read flapping of arms, dancing, and giggling) that my friend Kristy gave me an extra VCR she had just so I could watch it.

It really does have one of the best ab workouts ever. It's only 10 minutes, and you won't feel it right away, but give it a half hour. Then it feels like Cher's fitness instructor has kneed you in the stomach. ^_^

Plus, she wears the craziest workout outfits I've ever seen. Combat boots and a tutu? COUNT ME IN, LADY!

Kiwano fruit, I love you!

Seriously, how cute is this little fruit? It looks like a demented katamari. Jace found it while shopping tonight and I just had to have it. When we got home I checked my ever handy produce field guide and it told me it tasted like a cucumber crossed with a banana.
Cut it in half, it says, and so I do. I can't say I was expecting this. It's a good thing I have a serious picture taking problem. This is a food adventure worth documenting.
It's full of little seeds I'd compare to a cucumber, and it has membranes like those of a citrus fruit, but softer. The seeds are surrounded by green jell-o. Yes, green jell-o. The books tells me to use a spoon to scoop the insides out, and so I do.
This is the shell of the fruit, after I scooped the seeds and jell-o out. I scooped into a little ramekin and then added a pinch of sugar, as instructed.
The kiwano is my new favorite flavor of jell-o. It's bubbly and tart and sweet and slightly crunchy all at the same time. The colors are so vibrant and wonderful. I think I must go back to meijer and buy more.

Thrift!

I love thrift stores. Well, two in particular.

#1 - The Answer in Benton, Ky
#2 - Wayside Christian Mission in Louisville, KY

They are both huge and filled to the brim with awesome. I would recommend coming to Benton for Tater Day and staying for The Answer.

Recently, I found a whole pattern box FULL of patterns for $1.99 at Wayside. I finally unpacked it tonight and I don't know that I've ever been more excited about the 1970's. :D

Plus, a vintage apron pattern! Score! And the box is crazy 70's green, which I love. A lot.

Giant moustache, part 2.

In summary, I have great friends. :D

Giant stuffed moustache.

This is what I made today. I quite like it.

I can't wait to go to work tomorrow and take pictures of everyone with it on. :D

I documented the whole thing on Instructables as usual if anyone wants to know how to make their own. ^_^

Kevin Sorbo makes everything better.

Color a robot, you say?

Okay, but I'll need to take it to the max!

Fast Food Bannage.

I have banned fast food from my diet. I finally gave up after a eating spell at Taco Bell led me on an awful migraine journey that lasted for four days.

I have no reason to eat it besides being lazy, really. And that's no excuse! So I've been making a little list of reason not to eat fast food, to keep myself on the straight and narrow fast food hating track. :D

#1 - Those are not real potatoes.
#2 - I don't really like meat that much, especially mystery meat!
#3 - I'm an awesome cook.
#4 - I like fresh fruits and veggies.
#5 - I can cook cheaper with fresh foods, hence saving monies.
#6 - Planning ahead and packing a lunch means I don't have to venture out into traffic and get stressed out during my lunch break.
#7 - I can control what I'm eating.
#8 - No sass from disgruntled fast food workers that hate their job. (Not that I blame them at all, I gave sass when I worked at McD's.)
#9 - The food has probably been sitting there for hours if they've been slow, and chances are the employees have been picking at it and slowly devouring everything in sight. It's what happened at McD's.
#10 - I keep remembering the lady at KFC who scooped out mac and cheese into tubs with her hands, and then licked her hands. It was surreal, but I'm sure it probably happens often.

...and a million other reasons, I'm sure.

I've been clean for over a month now, except for a couple of days ago when I got french fries from Penn Station, but I don't think that counts because I know those are real potatoes, and they fry them to order and they're not so scary. :D