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Here is our busy little bee. . . she was struttin' around like she knew she was pretty cute until she saw herself in the mirror and then she bawled. I'm not sure what upset her. The last pic, she's checking out the cakes in the cake auction. . . I made the one that looks like a mega oreo. All I can say is, I don't skimp on the frosting. Happy Halloween!

Well, my curious, quick, fearless toddler grabbed a warm curling iron and wouldn't let go. She badly burned the inside of her pointer finger and thumb. After a trip to the KidsCare and a trip to the U of U burn clinic, multiple bandages, a bottle of Loratab elixir, and a sad baby we're left with moderate blisters that she won't keep wrapped and keeps forgetting to go easy on. I try to at least keep a sock on her hand so she won't use that one to pick things up, but everything eventually comes off. What can you do except keep curling irons completely out of reach from now on. . . duh.

. . . without having to turn on every light in the house first! I got a new lens for my camera (a canon rebel, if anyone's in the market and looking for recommendations). In fact, this lens was recommended on not martha , a great suggestion for low light and short depth of field which I love. Watch out Japan, here I come!

We have a favorite bib from a popular (and expensive) kids' store that we use almost everyday. I decided to copy the pattern (sort of) and make a couple more for Lucy. I thought it was a good chance to use some of my fabric stash and try out the iron on vinyl stuff you can get at the material store that makes any fabric into an oilcoth, basically. Step 1: Iron on vinyl stuff, no problems. Just followed the directions and the fabric looked fantastic. Step 2: Cut it out. . . Now here is where things started to go awry. I thought to myself, I don't want to have to back this bib with another layer of fabric and do the whole "right sides together" and then turn it inside out thing, I'm just going to bind it. So I cut the exact shape of the bib I was copying rather than allow seam allowance. Step 3: I should have stopped there, they looked so cute! But no, I went ahead and did a binding, which I cut on the bias and prepared myself just like I do when I'm binding qui...

Tonight for my final night of class (I teach a graphic design class at a local college), after the obligatory final quiz and critique of the final project we had a little election-year fun. We dissected/critiqued some of the campaign designs and went over the Boston Globe piece "What font says 'Change.'" To go with the theme, I did something I've always wanted to do. . . I made both recipes from the Family Circle Presidential Cookie Bake-Off . Here's my assessment: Cindy McCain's Oatmeal-Butterscotch Cookies: Love the dough, Hate the cookie . I really had high hopes for this cookie. After looking at the recipe and the Family Circle photo I thought this might finally be the oatmeal cookie I could love. Traditional, old-fashioned, hearty, time-tested and true and then she changes it up with something just a little unusual and unexpected: butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips or raisins, playing the maverick, right? But as with all oatmeal cookies,...

. . . and generally being funny. And, yes, that is conference going in the background which we're trying to watch but Lucy does a good job distracting us. But it was officially her first day walking.

So, does anyone out there happen to know someone looking for parents for a baby? If so, direct them to this fantastic couple, Sara and Isaac . They are looking for a baby and I happen to think they would be the most amazing parents. They're in Philadelphia right now, but I also happen to think they would go just about anywhere to meet up with prospective birth mothers and prospective babies. Here is a link to their "our hope to adopt" blog that would give birth moms' a good idea of what they're all about. Pass it on! Let's put our networking skills to good use and make this world a little smaller for this fun-loving, amazing couple.

So, hubby and I are going to Japan soon to meet up and travel with my brother, Jon, who lives in Guam. I'm so excited, I can hardly wait. But I'm not ready. . . I still haven't found the perfect shoe, the one that I can walk and walk and walk in and not even notice I'm wearing. The one that I slip off at the door of a Buddhist temple and not ruin my experience (and everyone else's) with the horrible smell of my own feet (let's be honest, this happens with cheap shoes, which I happen to gravitate towards because they are cheap.) The one that will look cute in pictures and not like I'm coming from an 80's aerobics class. . . The one that slips on and off easily at airport security checkpoints and can withstand inclement weather. Am I asking too much? Here is the short list. Any good or bad experiences with these brands? Other suggestions? What is your favorite pair of travelling shoes?

My first batch of Spoonflower fabric arrived this week (Spoonflower lets you print your own fabric!) and I had a little party when I opened the package. . . it's gorgeous. I'm thrilled with it! I wrote and illustrated this little soft book for my first project and have more in the works. This print-your-own fabric thing really has my motor running, possibilities are endless, seriously. I put the first book together as soon as hubby was at the gym and baby was asleep, I could hardly wait. . . posted today on etsy, but Lucy gets to keep this first edition. Eeek! Giddy like a kid about to eat a super sweet, sloppy totally awesome sandwich. . .