Portland Oregon and sloe gin fizz

if that ain't love, then tell me what is. That is from a Loretta Lynn song - and I actually had a chocolate liqueur drink.
We had a fantastic time in Portland this weekend!! We got to The Benson at about 3 on Friday

- gave the car to the valet and walked almost the whole weekend. The first thing we did was walk to the food trucks. there is one I love - I've only eaten there once because we have gone back twice since then and it is always closed - what the hell?!?!? So we ate noodles and dumplings at another truck. We went to Finnegan's Toys and Gifts such a fun store - I love these giant microbes.

 We went to The Spice and Tea Exchange - oh my!!

I am sure you can order it online - these flavors look so good! I haven't had any yet  - but I am looking forward to it!! Scott found a theater called "Living Room Theaters. You can order your tickets online - select which seats you want. The seats are roomy - you can order drinks (including alcohol) and dinner - they will deliver it to your seat!! We didn't eat but other people did and the food looked great! We had popcorn - air popped. The theaters are small, so there aren't too many people in there - it was fun! We saw Girl on a Train - good movie. We read the book back when it came out. The next day we walked to breakfast at Mother's Bistro and Bar - it was very good. I got to eat some of mine - potatoes with cheese mmmm but I found a hair in mine  - luckily before it ended up in my mouth. I had them bring me toast instead and I didn't have to pay for any of my meal.  We went to the Portland Saturday Market - very cool place!!

Booths and booths of art and soaps and fun things. We ate at Angelina's Greek Cuizina and had the best gyro I have EVER had - handmade pita - sooo good!! Scott bought me a ring from My Favorite Button - I picked a button and she made a ring for me. Very unique!

 I also got a silverware bracelet - I've wanted one forever!! I bought it at Spoonman Creations - they also have funny headwear!!

We walked over to Lan Su Chinese Garden - wow! Beautiful garden!!

They have a tea shop inside so we also had tea.

and a moon cake - taro

pecan cookies too

 Very peaceful place! We walked back to our hotel - got our car and drove over to Por Que No? Tacos. We have eaten there before - fabulous tacos!! Sunday we walked over to VooDoo Doughnuts -

yeah we did but we saved them for later and had breakfast at The Bijou Cafe.

Our last stop was Powell's Books the world's largest independent bookstore. It is a fabulous place. Scott likes it more than I do. He always thinks I don't like going there - but I do. Someday I will sit in the cafe - drink coffee and stitch but it has to be when we are not on Whole30 - which starts back up tomorrow. We ate wonderful food - the weather was GREAT - it rained on Sunday but we had an umbrella - we walked at least 5 miles! I really enjoyed the weekend with my honey!! We had a game - it is Halloween weekend but it was Portland so when we saw someone dressed strangely we would each decide whether they always dressed like that or because it was Halloween - I think I had more "Portland" than "Halloween" haha!
I have been meaning to mention that both Scott and Ryder have been in accidents since we moved here. I can show you the other cars from Scott's accident but not Ryder's.

No injuries and we are having our bumper replaced but there is only a crack in our bumper compared to the other cars - crazy!! Speaking of cars - I finally got my personalized plates - my letterboxing trailname "Crewel" I tried to get them in Colorado but we had to pay new car plate prices - over $400 and when the plates came in they wanted another $400 so I was going to wait until renewal time so I wouldn't have to pay twice. Indiana wasn't doing personalized because someone had abused the system and they were trying to sort it out - ugh. I love my new plates!!
I had a finish last week too

Jingle Bells by With Thy Needle - the Valdani thread kept breaking - I used two strands. I love the way it turned out!!
Hope you had a wonderful weekend too!! Thanks for stopping by!

Just a few things

Hello! A quick blog for a few finishes! I have two to show. First one is Acorn Shaker Box by Jeannette Douglas Designs - I changed the variegated thread - but I am making it again and changing it again. I will find one I like.

My second finish is Ghoul Tidings by Plum Street Sampler - I have too much stash (said no one ever) so I ordered the pattern and then realized that I had it in my stash in a magazine! The magazine (Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2013) has a typo - a oddly placed black pumpkin. I stitched it because there is also a floating acorn - so who am I to say if it belongs. Someone on Facebook pointed out it is wrong so I have removed it!

I tea dyed this fabric - I can't be stopped!

Remember how I said I wouldn't be dying fabric again - well, I can't be trusted..... First let me say that every time I go into my craft room I come out with another pattern kitted - I just gotta stop going in there - I think I have (Scott look away) 14 kitted ACK!!!! I went in there with Scott so he could look at what needs framed and BAM I realized I had a piece of fabric for a Barbara Ana Design

In person this pattern looks like gray fabric - on the back it says natural. So in pictures it sure does look natural - but I had already decided to dye it gray. Ampustitcher on Instagram had dyed a piece of fabric and I liked the way it turned out - she pointed me to Primitive Stitcher on Flosstube. I followed her directions for Rit dying - without the gloves and I used kitchen utensils *gasp* I love love love the way it turned out.

before

after

There is a weird thing on the video though - she says her spoon is 1/8th of a teaspoon and she puts in 4 of those - but then says it's a teaspoon. I used a 1/2 teaspoon and it turned out right. Now I want to dye all my fabrics - but I'm not. I am going to buy some instant coffee so I am ready for my next adventure. I am avoiding the craft room..... but look at all the fun - no - stay out!!
Last weekend we went letterboxing. Washington is gorgeous!!

not sure what this is - but it looks like jewelry

Mt Adams

the Wailing Bell on WSU Vancouver campus

The bell looks superimposed right?

Afterwards we had pizza - oh yeah baby!! Worth every bite - I ate it like it was trying to get away! I lost 14.2 lbs in 36 days. We will be off and on Whole30 for the next two months - holidays. I know it's not supposed to work that way but I can't just go back to "normal" eating for two months.

The cat is asleep face down on my foot - guess I stood in one place too long! HAA
Ok kids - I said quick. Hope you are having a wonderful month. Thanks for stopping by!

house tour

Scott finished decorating the house this weekend and I love it! Someone on Instagram asked how many framed pieces I have - 89 - it's true. That doesn't count houses, pin keeps. bell pulls, things I gave as gifts, pillows or boxes. I have been at it for 27 years though! There are still blank walls in this house so I have to get busy!! 

entry we are using the pie safe for quilt storage

hall from entry to living room

same hall different angle

other side

our room - since we didn't use the master we have this extended room

Santa wall and the rocking chair my mom and I refinished!

That's it - I like the way it looks.
Yesterday was day 30 of the whole 30. We are staying on it until our Portland weekend and then after that weekend we are getting right back on. Scott lost 13 and I lost 12 lbs I  had a rough start with the infection but I feel pretty good. I got the nom nom paleo cookbook - there was a recipe for eggs in purgatory that called for a pound of sausage. It's hard to find compliant sausage - Whole foods has it but it is so expensive. I found a recipe (if you use the recipe and are Whole 30 just leave out the sugar) online and made my own - turned out pretty good and was surprisingly easy (much much cheaper too!!!) I also made the nom nom paleo Mexican beef (left out the fish sauce) recipe in the instant pot - love that thing!! Scott made some fried potatoes to go with it - delicious!!
Since I just posted recently I only have one stitchy pic - Bothy Threads Mad Hatter Tea Party

ahhh headless creatures!! I have decided to take a little break from my stitching rotation - I know I KNOW!! sheesh. I love my craft room and I love to look at my patterns but then I think - oh I could get that done in no time and I put together a bunch of small ones - next thing you know I have 10 kitted with stuff coming in the mail - DAMN IT!! No self control. So I thought I'd get some smalls out of my system. Shake it off Jamie!! SHAKE IT OFF!!! Plus I just finished Tiramisu and the Red Velvet feels just like it so I am having a hard time working on it. Again - don't judge! Ü
The storms were pretty rainy - glad we didn't go out. We found a window that is leaking from the top wood part - lucky for us we are renting so I put in a maintenance request - HAHA no work for us!!
We got our Victoria trip planned and booked - it's months away and I can't even wait!! I'm so excited!! Guess who lives there - Thea Dueck of Victoria Sampler. Wouldn't it be cool if I got to meet her? I'm not counting on it though!
That's all I got folks - thanks for stopping by!!! Stay dry!

rain rain go away

Just kidding, I love the rain!

We were hoping to go out letterboxing this weekend and a little rain doesn't scare us, but they said storm.....possible flooding... high winds... that is no fun for letterboxing.

So we will stay home - plan a trip and finish hanging things. Let me tell you the things I love about this house - taking the trash out is a one car length struggle - instead of a steep long hill. Lawn mowing takes less than 30 minutes - not an entire day. We won't be raking every weekend for two months - we won't be raking at all!! House cleaning is 2-3 hours instead of all day! We are so close to so many things instead of  20 minute drive to anywhere! We can sleep with the windows open - no swarming bugs or humidity! A girl could get used to this easy life! I will do a post showing the house in a week or so - there are still a few things that need hung up.

When we got here I looked into the closest college for nursing. They evaluated my transcript and decided it was not up to their standards - I would have to either take again (who knew anatomy and physiology could be so different from one school to another) or take more classes because  I didn't have enough credits in a subject.  So basically my time in school in Indy was a big fat waste of time. I feel like maybe they just want you to spend more money at their school. I was pretty down about that. Dispatchers make good money here so I thought maybe I would just go back to that - but then I am on nights, weekends and holidays as the low man on the totem pole again - bah! Either choice had me down. When I went to the ER, the nurse that took care of me told me there was another - better in her opinion - school. It's 45 minutes away but so was the last school I went to. I enrolled today and I have to wait - forever - for a transcript evaluation - but it looks like the same amount of classes as my last school. Fingers crossed kids!!
Yes, you heard right - I just found a home and I am ready to travel!! Scott's boss won a weekend at a swanky Portland hotel at a fund raising auction. They were going to expire before she could use them. She offered them to her managers and Scott took them - I feel like everyone else thought it was weird to want to stay 20 minutes from home. If we had to pay for it it would be about $600!! We plan on walking all over the city of Portland - it will be fun!! Scott's new company also buys crates of apples for the employees to take home - I have a big box of local organic apples - delicious!! Another trip I am hoping to take is The Butchart Gardens Holiday lights tour. You get to ride over to Victoria on a clipper, visit the holiday light display, stay in a hotel and return the next day. It looks like so much fun!! We are going to talk about it this weekend!!
My mom, stepdad, uncle Joel and aunt Carol are all coming for Thanksgiving - I am trying to find a restaurant. I know - shameful - but it's so much easier than cooking and cleaning! It will be fun to see everybody.
Last but not least - stitchy news. I have 4 new starts because I recently finished all the projects in my rotation. I showed the Red Velvet on my last post - nothing new on that. I have a finish from week 2

Tricky Tweet Just Nan

Yes, I made 6. I have 4 lovely stitchy friends that I thought would enjoy these - one for me and an extra in case a need a quick stitchy gift. I think they are adorable.
Remember that fabric I dyed, bleached, ice dyed blah blah blah. Well it was gorgeous but way to dark so I bleached it - and then bleached it some more. Then I tea dyed it and damn it all - something happened that made big black splotches - there must have been brown crystal in the towel

before tea dye

after tea dye

 So I measured and I can fit the pattern inside the splotches - geez what a crazy adventure this has been. From now on I'm buying the called for fabric.

new start for week 2 -  Scary One

Week 3 is Teresa Wentzler Fantasy sampler - started in 2005

This is how much there was when I pulled it from the WIP box

after one week

I got three animals done - including the backstitch, some border backstitch that you can't see because it's gold cord and added some green to the inner border.
Week 4 is Bothy Threads Mad Hatter Tea Party - started Sunday 9th - here is my progress as of this morning - rotates out on Sunday - back to week 1!

Our Whole 30 is going as well as can be expected. I am tired of meat and I am tired of cooking. We go to the gym 3 days a week. Weekends are spent on our feet for the whole weekend moving boxes around. I feel thinner so it's hard to complain too much - I only want one little donut - or 12  - don't judge.
There you have it folks - my whole week. Thanks for stopping by and listening to me blabber on about things!