Olympic Memory Lane

I happened upon this video on another blog, and in just 30 seconds had dissolved into a puddle of tears. It took me right down memory lane. I remember when Dan Jansen got his gold medal. I was a sophomore at BYU, and his story just caught my heart. I even cut out a newspaper (remember those?) story about him and taped it to the fridge in our off-campus apartment. At the time, I think it was the story of not giving up even when your dreams seem to have come crashing down around you that I needed to hear. Today, it's seeing him with his daughter Jane that gets me. The human spirit is a powerful thing, you know? Even in tragedy, we can somehow pick ourselves up and continue on. That's what I love about the Olympics--the personal stories of men and women not just in competition, but in life.

This might play better straight from YouTube, so go right here. I promise it's worth it!

Just in time...

Back in November, I discovered the cutest Christmasy fabric ever. Love at first sight, I tell you. This of course, was around the same time that I was trying to make all kinds of Christmas felt decorations and gifts, sewing aprons, trying to win cookie competitions at work (didn't win, BTW), and making Christmas cards. That fabric just sat in the corner, calling my name and wishing to be put to use. Poor thing didn't stand a chance.

This past weekend I had a bonus snow day and finally finished my Christmas quilt. Just in time for Valentine's Day, maybe? Or super ahead of schedule for Christmas 2010?


The fabric is Funky Christmas by Michael Miller, and I got it at SewLoveFabric's Etsy shop.

Valentine's Pops

I tried to channel Bakerella and made cake pops for Valentine's Day. Mine weren't even close in the "beautiful" category, but I think they tasted pretty good. For some reason, I thought that the candy coating would hide any flaws in the cake ball (kind of like the bakery version of Spanx). But no, the chocolate just served to highlight the fact that my pops were not perfectly spherical.


These were the first casualties, as I discovered that you cannot in fact dip the cake ball into the melted chocolate. I quickly mastered the pour, twist, tap, twist, twist method of getting the chocolate onto the cake ball.

By the time I got the hang of it, it was clear that my pops would probably be more at home on the Island of Misfit Toys, but it's the thought that counts, right? Happy Valentine's Day!

Snow Day in Dallas

Here's a sight you don't see everyday here in the Big D. The weather forecasters made a big deal Wednesday night of the coming storm, but we've been on high alert before and then seen nothing. So I really was surprised when I woke up Thursday morning to this view from my window. Real snow...that stays around! I even had to break out the ole ice scraper (it doesn't get much use).

It snowed ALL day long, which is practically unheard of here in Dallas. A friend I work with said she had never in her whole life seen snow like this. I might not have been as enamored with the snow as everyone else (too many miserable days of shoveling it in Boston), but I will say it was a pretty snow, blanketing everything with big, fat flakes.

This morning I woke up and the snow had stopped, but the ice had set in. Which means a snow day! Most of the DFW area is hunkering down at home. I know it doesn't compare at all to the Snowmageddon (my favorite nickname) my East coast friends have been enduring, but for now I think it's kind of fun. Just as long as I don't have to break out the shovel....