Bug's Log

Come Join Us!

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:51:00 GMT

We’re not pathetic anymore! Come see us at The Purple Fern.

My grand plan to move all this content over before beginning to blog there just didn’t happen.

__ Technical Difficulties Alert!

We’ve been having problems with our blogging software, which is why more frequently than not you get a lovely 505 error when you try to post comments or do anything other than read the front page.

Turning Tradition Upside Down

Sat, 8 Dec 2007 21:56:00 GMT

Our first Christmas tree in our new house is up and decorated.

Whoops! What’s that cat doing, anyway?

Ah. That’s better. Yes, I finally got my upside-down Christmas tree. I’ve wanted to do this ever since I was a kid. There was a florist we liked who hung all of the trees upside down from the ceiling of her shop and decorated them for the holidays that way.

It looks very Seussian and it makes everyone smile. No Grinches allowed this year at our house!

Henry's Snowy Summer Day

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 01:36:00 GMT

Early this morning when I thought Henry was still asleep, I mentioned to Joe on the phone that we had 3 inches of fresh snow on the ground.

UP popped Henry, from snoozing to elation in 2 seconds flat. He raced around gathering clothes, hat, gloves, boots, coat and was out the door within five minutes.

He spent every bit of the day he could running around outside, having a blast.

Later, he came inside and said, “Mom, I think summer is my favorite season.” I told him that I thought he seemed to be enjoying winter quite a bit.

He responded that was because when he’s outside, he’s been singing at the top of his lungs all about how he likes summer better.

Church or . . . .

Tue, 4 Dec 2007 12:45:00 GMT

While on road trips, we like to play a little game called “School or Prison?” Sometimes it’s actually difficult to tell which is which—with the exception that a razor wire fence tends to be a giant clue. That’s not to say that some schools don’t have razor wire, I’m sure!

Our Thanksgiving travel brought us face to, er, let’s go with face here, with this interesting house of worship. I’m sure some of you know exactly where this is, so let’s not get too real. ( I know you want to check it out the satellite image! )

Seriously, though, what pastor got this design past his congregation in the first place? Talk about charisma!

Isn’t she just screaming to have her true iden-tity ~~bra-ed~~ brought out?

Okay, everybody! Name that church!

I’m going with Our Lady of Bali.

Log Cabin Thanksgiving

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:54:00 GMT

Emma has been solidly in her “Little House on the Prairie” phase for the past six months or so. When she came up with the idea to spend Thanksgiving in a log cabin, we ran with it.

She was a bit disappointed that the cabin we chose had electricity, satellite TV, a hot tub and a PS-2, but she got over it pretty quickly. It was seriously lacking in quilts, so we had to add our own.

It was one of the most relaxing vacations we have ever spent. Kira won the prize for “most time spent on the couch.”

There was much reading.

Especially after trips to Borders and Caveat Emptor in Bloomington.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.

And thoroughly enjoyed soaking in the hot tub under the full moon.

We’re looking forward to our next opportunity to disappear into the woods.

Here’s Kira’s account of the weekend.

No Lack of Projects Here!

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:30:00 GMT

It took six months, but the bookshelves are finally up in my studio, and the books safe and happy in their new home. The walls in the living room won’t be finished until the new front door is installed.

Here’s a sneak peek at her naked:

And here she is in her full Izmir Purple glory:

Lucky for me I couldn’t stand the idea of cream, forest green, burgundy or navy blue. We saved over $800 by eschewing the factory finished paint job. Unfortunately, the directions for painting a steel door that my friendly neighborhood Sherwin Williams manager offered left me in tears due to the streaks I could not avoid. When I turned to my tried-and-true mini fabric rollers, I was thrilled with the results.

Millie’s footprints in the paint didn’t make me all too happy, but I fixed them. If they had been more artistically placed, I might have left them.

I think she is lovely and will look awesome when firmly in her new home. This neighborhood needs “that-house-with-the-purple-door.”

Meanwhile, back at the sewing machine (which I don’t get to nearly enough):

My Tango tablecloth quilt is coming along slowly. This is more complete, even though it was just an afterthought using the leftover pieces. Neither will be finished before Thanksgiving, but definitely soon after.

Bug's Backlog

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 20:15:00 GMT

So many pictures, so many stories, so little time to post.

Halloween 2007:

Kira: Evil Little Red Riding Hood (Vendetta!)

Mark: If he told you what he is, he’d have to kill you.

Emma: Half angel/half devil. Very reminiscent of her “Devil in Disguise” costume when she was a year old (I’ll have to dig up a picture.)

Henry: If I have to tell you, you’ve been in a coma since early 1977.

Emma, Henry and I did something this Halloween that we’ve been dying to do for a long time—we sneaked into the Blackbelt Academy and dressed Bob, the punching dummy, in drag.

The permanently P.O.’d look on his face always made me think he deserved a blonde wig and a very large dress.

We also gave him sparkley eyelashes so now he has good reason to be ticked off.

The Perfect Sushi Chocolate? Who Knew?!

Sun, 4 Nov 2007 03:23:00 GMT

Another Saturday night, another bottle of wine, another round of Hei Sei Alaska Rolls, and another wonderful chocolate selection to round out the evening.

Vosges makes some pretty interesting exotic bars. I have a number of them tucked away for evenings just like tonight. The Black Pearl Bar has wasabi, ginger and black sesame seeds. I was skeptical, but other than the chocolate being a bit on the waxy side (especially for the price), it was really good.

The sesame seeds add a very subtle, crunchy texture, and the ginger gives the chocolate an interesting flowery flavor, but none of us could really detect the wasabi. We thought about smearing on some of our own, but that might have just been the wine talking.

This one is waiting on the chocolate shelf for its moment of glory. I just can’t decide what to pair it with. Any suggestions (besides fried eggs and hash browns)?

The Gold Standard

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 23:53:00 GMT

There is nothing I can say about the amount of chocolate I have consumed in my lifetime that won’t make everyone roll their eyes and say, “We know already!”

So I’ll cut to the chase. These are by far the best chocolates I have ever tasted. Ever, ever, ever. Let a Torn Ranch Java Truffle melt on your tongue and it will be forever in your heart.

The trouble is they’re not easy to come by. They’re only available retail online as part of larger gift baskets (too expensive and who wants all that other stuff anyway?!) I’ve even spoken with the company and they won’t let me buy them directly—not even by the gross (Oh, yes I would!)

I’m lucky that Gretel loves them, too, because she’s more than happy to order them for me—but only in the colder months of the year. I’ve been looking forward to November since last winter!

I won’t tell you how many I ordered, but if you’re really nice to me, I’ll be glad to share.

Duuude! Don't Harsh My Mellow!

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 16:20:00 GMT

It’s nice to live in a place where “rush hour traffic” means nothing more than a few extra cars on the road moving along at normal speeds. Still, there are certain places where it’s just not a good idea to try and turn left onto main thoroughfares because it’s either illegal or ties things up and takes forever due to the traffic flow.

So this morning Emma, Henry and I were driving to work, happily singing along to Matt White (you can’t possibly be stressed listening to his music) when we just happened to block a guy from making an illegal left turn. I really didn’t think much of it until I glanced over and saw the other driver, red-faced and spitting mad, hurling curses at me.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy for being so angry at me for doing nothing more than being in the right place at the wrong time for the convenience of his illegal turn!

But he can’t harsh my mellow!

And think I figured out why the comments were off. Have at ‘em!