8 Things Friday

1. Oh my gosh it's Friday again! How does this keep happening? It was Sunday, then suddenly Wednesday, now the week's almost over! I guess I've been busy enough that time is just zooming on by!

2. Which is good, because at the end of July (a month and a couple weeks away!) I'm flying to San Diego with Mom to visit my aunt and cousin for a whole week! You can see the ocean RIGHT THERE from her living room picture windows, so I'm sure we'll spend a couple days at the beach. Also shopping (maybe the swap meet), hanging out and watching movies, and maybe a touristy thing like the aquarium or something. I'm so excited!!!

3. School is going well. It's kind of a lot, but I'm getting used to it by now. Not this coming week, but the next week, we go in for our second face-to-face, i.e. three days on campus all day long. Then four weeks more, the last face-to-face, and I'm done with summer semester! The first day the teachers are on campus at the middle school where I'm student teaching is August 11th or 12th, and the kids get there on the 18th. Of course I'll be there with the teachers to set up and get things ready. I'm getting excited! (Can't remember if I said, but I've been placed in 7th grade. Wish me luck!)

4. We're looking at houses, finally, on Tuesday night. Not just driving around to see the neighborhoods and possibly peeking in windows, but having appointments and seeing inside and with a realtor! Woohoo! If they let us take pictures, I'd love to! Then I can share our favorites with you, as well as keep track for our own sake.

5. I saw the cutest bike ever tonight while I was driving! It was light blue but the fenders, the middle of the body, and the seat were patchwork! Literally painted patchwork like squares of cute vintage-looking calico! I WANT IT! (Matt said, "You didn't ride the last bike you had!" and I said, "But I would ride this one! And take it for walks and give it baths and feed it, I promise, pleeeeease?!") I'm sure it was super-expensive at some fancy bike shop, but holy crap! So cute! I could probably do something like that to a bike, someday, if I ever get a bike again.

6. Let's see, crafty news... I've been doing baby shower gifts, one per week, for the last three weeks! (Actually I still need to do Haley's blanket, but I'll do that Sunday.) So nothing new with the charm squares quilt I was doing, and I'm DONE with baby hats for now! (I have a good stockpile of them for future baby showers, too.) I'm knitting a really simple shawl out of a nice rose-pink, kind of heathered, wool yarn. Just Patons from Michael's, nothing fancy. It's seven "stripes" going vertically, alternating seed stitch and garter. Really simple, so it's good to do while watching movies or yakking at knit night. I also want to make a very simple (geeze, I'm all about simple crafting lately, I guess) dress or two from this pattern. It's more of a square neckline when it's on; I've made it before several times for Ren faire outfits, and once for a nightgown. I'll make the sleeves short and draw elastic through the ends so they kind of puff up a bit, and put a drawstring or sash under the bust for an empire shape. Maybe some trim or a ruffle at the bottom hem, about knee-length or slightly shorter. I have a light blue sheet (from Goodwill!) that would be great for that, and maybe a circle skirt or something too, and heaven knows enough other cottons I could use. It's just finding the time!!

7. The first Downtown Farmer's Market of the year was yesterday, and I worked til close (i.e. 9:45) so we didn't get to go. I'd really like to go this Thursday, though! The zucchinni should be starting to get good, ooh, and watermelons! Also it's nice to just walk around and listen to the music, since they usually have at least one live band/performer. Also: free samples! Yummm!

8.Come onnnnnnn, Summer! I'm done with this whole overcast, chilly-ish, sprinkling on and off crap. Be sunny! Be hot! I know I'll whine about being sweaty and all, but after the stupidly long Winter we had, and the weird, hot-then-freezing Spring, I'M READY!