Those who can, craft.

Well, it looks like I'm back to my old blogging habits. I can't help it though - there's just a whole lotta nothing going on. As a result, we've resorted to passing the time away by crafting. Much of it involving glitter glue. Lots and lots of glitter glue.



I myself continue to fail miserably at sewing. Wait - let me clarify. Embroidery, I can do. Attaching two pieces of fabric together by hand or machine...forget about it. Still I try, even though it doesn't come easy to me. As I sit there at my sewing table banging my head questioning, "Why do I suck so badly at this!?" all Mark can do is ask, "Didn't you take Sewing in junior high?" The answer to that question is: Yes, I took it in 8th grade (Not 7th grade, when you got to make cool pillows. No, we made ugly aprons. Even the boys had to make them.) and barely merited a B.

Anyway, I made this make-up bag (My second attempt). It looks good from far away, but the stitching is a mess. I think I ripped it out a total seven times. This is the kind of thing that I would like to make and give as gifts, but I'm no where near proficient enough to saddle someone with one of these. The make-up bag pattern is from Sew Pretty Homestyle, embroidery pattern is from Jenny Hart's Stitch It Kit and the Picnic Damask fabric is by Tanya Whelan.



Not to be deterred, I decided to tackle something on a smaller scale. Lauren was thrilled with these little stuffed strawberries (The first one I made is too pathetic to show). So much, she desperately wants me to make the larger pillow version for her bed. *cries*



Okay, now here's something that I *can* do. A couple of months ago, I found this little wooden file box at an antique store. I had seen similar boxes sold on Etsy, so I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. Another great way to use up those paper scraps! In hindsight, I wish I had also bought the larger one that was next to this one. I'm thinking that it would make a good recipe box.



When you're crafting, you need snacks, right? I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this bag of peanut M&M's, because I CAN'T STOP EATING THEM. Boredom will do that to you.



Oh yeah, and then there's the cookies. For Christmas, Mark gave me Martha Stewart's cookie book to go along with my mixer. I asked Lauren to pick out a recipe for us to make together. She picked Chocolate Crackles. Although I've come across these numerous times over the years, I've never had any desire to make them, with good reason, as I now know that the dough has to refrigerate for 2 hours. Unfortunately, I didn't read far enough ahead in the recipe to learn this until it was too late. Since it was after 7 p.m., there was no way I could refrigerate the dough for that long and still bake and serve them that night. The alternative was to wait until the next day, but I wasn't about to tell Lauren (or Mark) that there would be no cookies until tomorrow. So I put the dough in the freezer for about 45 minutes, which for the record, wasn't nearly long enough. More dough stuck to my hands than made it to the cookie sheet. However, in the end, they turned out quite tasty, kind of like a light and fluffy version of a brownie. Also, the dough is really to die for, not that I was licking my fingers or anything. Really, I wasn't. Honestly.

***Begin American Idol blabbering***

Even though all signs point to me hating this season, I'm actually very excited that our show is back! Why do I say that? For one, every third season is in the bottom of my personal rankings. That would be Season 3 and 6. What comes next? 9.

Second, after two straight seasons with all male finales, they are going to pull out all the stops to ensure a female victory. Since my top three seasons have ended in male victories (7, 8 and 5), this does not bode well for my watching pleasure.

Still, I'm trying to keep an open mind. I think I could root for a girl, if the right one came along. After all, I did like Brooke White. On the other hand, it was very evident to me during the first two nights that I better get used to having the girls shoved down my throat, as there were very few good guys featured.

One thing that I didn't notice was the absence of Paula Abdul. Maybe once they get to the performance shows, I'll miss her. On second thought...probably not. As for Simon leaving, I think it will be the end of the show, only because the media says it will be the end of the show (and everyone listens to the media). Otherwise, as long as they hire a decent replacement, I think the show will go on. That is, as long as thousands of people line up for their chance of stardom and millions tune-in to see those people either shine or fall flat on their face. Because, in the end, that's what the show is all about: the contestants. Not Paula. Not Simon. And god knows it's not about Kara. Yuck.

On a somewhat related note, I'm pleased that two of my other favorite shows, Mad Men and Glee won Golden Globe awards last night! I'm such a sucker for shows with ensemble casts...