Uma "View" Beleza

We went to dinner at a friend-of-the-family's house today. He lives in the lake district and has a BEAUTIFUL view. Can you believe it?!

Just Like That

My sister is having a make-up artist come as part of the wedding prep, so she advised me to find a picture that I could show the woman. I've been keeping my eyes peeled, and I think I finally found what I was looking for. In this particular photo, Naomi Watts has a very natural look: her cheeks and lips have a bit of rosy color, but her eyes are really the main attraction. I love it!

So that's how I want my make-up done. Just like that!

PS: I found this while waiting for Bruno to get his hair cut. I didn't know if I'd be able to find the same photo again, so I ripped/stole it from their magazine! I felt so reckless (hehe).

Sew Many Machines!

I wish I had taken a picture today. The back of my car was FULL of sewing machines. And I mean full. Nine machines in all.

And I am tickled pink.

Many, many months ago, my co-worker (buddy, partner-in-crime, bff), Jackpot, and I decided that because we've both been having so much fun sewing, we wanted to see about starting a sewing club at school for our students. It turns out that our Home Ec teacher didn't have any sewing machines in her department. It's the modern world, baby! And PS: she's not the "Home Ec" teacher anymore... she's the "FACS" teacher. That stands for Family and Consumer Science.

So, despite the minor set-back, we persevered. With the help of our FACS teacher, we got connected with her boss and found out that there would be some old machines being retired at the end of the school year. Yes, our school year is STILL going on. Today, we went and picked up those nine machines. So excited!

Tomorrow is the last day of school -- and that's a good thing -- but with these new machines just arriving, I'm secretly already chomping at the bit! I can't wait to get our club up and running next year. We're hoping the kids will be excited to put their sewing skills to good use! We'll be looking for sewing projects and ways to donate our handiwork...

...and maybe we'll make a few things for ourselves along the way, too.

You Want a "Real" Recommendation?

Read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

Part of the reason why I haven't blogged in 10 days is because I was hooked reading this book! It was a thrilling, timeless story that played on aspects of literature that I've always loved. Like, for instance, good ole Brit Lit. And gothic novels. Yet, it was surprisingly modern and at times, shocking! There was mystery and intrigue. Love. Despair. I couldn't put it down. It was a book that I had heard about years ago and then sorta kinda bumped into accidentally (it was on display in the library at school!)

So please, if you're looking for something fun and quick, consider this story. You won't be sorry you did!

[This book recommendation has been approved by Levar Burton].

Lisbeth Salandar

Wow... I can't believe it's been 10 days since I last posted! I'll just take half a second here to complain (yet again) how much I hate that my blog is blocked at work. Work is where I'm productive. Hellooo!

But back to the fun stuff. I finally finished reading the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy -- a Christmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law who read and loved them. I had a heck of a time getting into each one of the books. You would think that by the third book either the author would have gotten with the program a little faster, or I'd have at least gotten used to it. But no. Nonetheless, after I made my way through the first 100 pages of each book, it was always worth it! (Commitment, indeed!)

My favorite was definitely the last one. Probably because that's where all of the heroine's secrets finally came out into the light. She had a fascinating back-story, for sure.

If you're hooked by my rave review, but not really up for 1000's of pages of reading, you could always go see the movies. I hear the ones that were already made in Sweden are pretty good, and I'm definitely looking forward to watching them. Hopefully hubby will be interested in keeping me company!

Another Baby (Blanket)

Another colleague is expecting a baby any day now. Since she doesn't know whether it's a boy or a girl, I decided to get a little creative with my binding colors. This was an excellent way for me to practicing sewing bias tape together (ugh, what a pain) and also a great way to use scraps!

E's Bridal Shower!

As my little sister's matron of honor, it was my job to plan her bridal shower. Luckily for me, she has chosen six other women as bridesmaids... and they all rock! Between the seven of us (plus help from my mom), the shower was amazing.

According to my grandma, we "carried it off with panache." Wow, what a review!

The trick for me, was that I wanted to have her quilt finished before the shower. As you may recall, I'm not the best with deadlines and was actually still hand-stitching the binding on my grandma's quilt after she opened it on Christmas.

So, classic me, I was pressed for time. But with a little perseverance, and one all-nighter, I finished! And she loved her quilt. Hooray! (I'll write more about the quilt in a later blog).