old school

I think it was a combination of those snappy Kindle commercials and the BF saying "do you think you'd like a Kindle for Christmas?" that made me start wanting one sometime last year - before that I didn't even think twice about it. But then I was obsessed with trying to justify the price and thinking about when it'd be convenient and all that. Yesterday, however, we went to Xenia to check out an antique shop and also stop at a used book store that we saw last time we were there, and I might have lost my obsession. I'd just finished a book so I was in the market for another and I hate to pay retail for fiction which I really don't ever read more than once. I ended up with a huge stack of books for next to nothing and had such a great time.

I picked up this hardback from the '50s (Anatomy of a Murder) and I flipped it open then closed it - "kwop!" - oh that sound! I reminded me of why books are so great! sure, you have to go somewhere to get them, and find a way to balance them when you're reading in bed, then deal with stuffed bookshelves - all stuff that the Kindle would eliminate, but there's just something about books and bookstores and interesting bookstore owners and cats that live at bookstores and sleep in boxes on the counter (of course this bookstore in Xenia had a sweet black cat!) that you just can't get with an e-reader. I don't think I want to lose that! Oh, the fabric under those books is a vintage tablecloth that I picked up for $6! I'll totally cut it up and frame those green roses in some kind of patchworky project!

prize fighting turtle?

This year I'm all about winning fame and glory at the Montgomery County fair. I missed last year's entry deadline by days and this year I'm on it! I mailed in my form today and entered in 7 categories! Just think - I could win as much as $28!! haha! I entered in the following categories: adult sweater (unfortunately, the sweater I'd most like to enter - the honeycomb cardigan, can't go because it's a test knit that still hasn't been released - drat!), accessories (I'm going to enter my bird in hand mittens), other (my plan there is to enter my Wollmeise Ishbel - hopefully they don't say that's an accessory), crochet animal (I think I'll send my little amigurumi lamb), knitted doll - cartoon (go Bender!), and sewn animal. Hmm, that's 6. I can't remember the other category! Anyway, last night I made this guy for the sewn animal category - it's another turtle!

I sort of thought that the squirrel, like I made for Emily, may be a better prize winning contender, but it was so much more involved and I just wasn't sure I was up to it. So we'll see how this guy does. Regardless of how well he holds his own in the battle, he was fun to make!

Happy birthday, Mother!

Today is my mom's birthday so I took a day off work yesterday (too much going on at work today - and what's wrong with a day early? it's her birthday eve!) and invited her up to Dayton for a birthday fun day! We took her to one of the antique malls in Springfield because she loves that kind of stuff - she's after stuff a bit different than I am, but it works out because there's such a terrific mix there. Let me tell you, she's a serious looker - like no scanning ability - she has to look at each and every thing! whew - it was a long trip through one mall! but she came out with some stuff and was delighted! I got some stuff too:

The fabric in the back is some heavy weight cotton that I've eyed a few times in the past and finally broke down and got. The yellow in the corner is a scarf - which I need like I need a hole in my head, but it's yellow and a scarf! how could I not get it? We've been looking for some glasses because we've mysteriously been losing our drinking glasses. Neither of us remember breaking any - except for our most beloved Georges Briard glasses which we've never ever been able to find again. The two glasses on the right are both Georges Briard designs too, but not the ones we've been breaking. Still cool. Frosted glasses were quite the rage back in the day. The other is one in a series of The Wonderful World of Ohio glasses - there were bunches of WWoOH things from a campaign back in the 60's!

My mom found this little refrigerator dish in a thrift store and snatched it up for me - only 99 cents!!

After the antiquing I took her to the North Dayton Garden center because she loves that place. She got a succulent that she's been wanting and I got these three little houseplants, which I repotted and put in my sewing room. One is a purple shamrock! Now the trick will be remembering to water them in there!