Push yourself again and again. Don't give an inch until the final buzzer sounds. –Larry Bird
I want to thank everyone who linked up in December. There were some fabulous projects finished last month. I really enjoyed visiting your blogs and seeing what you've accomplished. I finished a few things myself, which I hope you won't mind if I share. I made a table runner and a couple of little journal holders that I gave as Christmas Gifts. And even though I didn't make the quilt top or bind it, I did the quilting on P.'s String Ring Dresden quilt. P. linked that as a finish for her this month and I'm counting that as a finish for me too. At 75½" x 95½", it is the biggest quilt I've done, and I think I earned every inch of a finish on it. And now, for the winner of our December Giveaway. LadyBug stayed up waaaayyyy past her bedtime so she could draw the winner. Drum roll please {and LadyBug says she needs tucking in. Can someone take care of that please?} . . . the winning number is #17.
Shannon will receive a charm pack of Modern Roses by Stephanie Ryan, sponsored by The Fat Quarter Shop. Make sure you check out the Diamond Double quilt Shannon made for her son. She also linked one other finish this month, a quilt for her mother-in-law, so check that out if you have a minute. And make sure to click on a few of the other finishes, if you haven't already. {I highly recommmend Renee's The Doctor's Starry Night quilt. It is based on an episode of Doctor Who that involves Vincent Van Gogh. The episode was pretty amazing and the quilt is equally so. Even if you're not a fan of the show, the quilting is amazing.}
The January Finishes Linky Party is open, so you can link up as you go throughout the month. Remember to include the January Finishes button {code found in the January post} somewhere in any post you link up. Code for a button for your sidebar can also be found at the bottom of the January post. For giveaway for this month, The Fat Quarter shop is giving away a charm pack of Daydreams by Kate Spain.
I'll be a story in your head. But that's OK: we're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? Because it was, you know. It was the best: a daft old man, who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you I stole it? Well, I borrowed it; I was always going to take it back. Oh, that box, Amy, you'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time, brand-new and ancient, and the bluest blue, ever. –Doctor Who, season 5, episode 13, The Big Bang, Steve Moffat
I'm finally jumping on the Doctor Who Stitch-Along bandwagon over at Fandom in Stitches, even though I completely missed the boat {talk about your mixed metaphors. If I were really clever, I would have come up with something all time-wimey, TARDIS-y, bow-tie and fez cool. But I'm not.}. I have my patterns all printed out. I'm doing everything at half-size {4" instead of 8"} and am going to make a wall-hanging using the alternate TARDIS layout. {No. P.'s quilt isn't finished yet. This weekend. I promise. I only have a tiny bit to go on it. And I love how it is coming out. But this is what I do when I tell myself I can't work on anything else until the thing I'm currently working on is finished. Because technically speaking, thinking and planning new projects to work on is not actually working on something else.}. I even found the perfect wood-grain print fabric in TARDIS Blue. {It's an actual color. Pantone 2955C - 012C57 HEX - 1,44,87 RGB.}
So I ordered 2½ yards of it. It came in the mail yesterday. Did it not look TARDIS Blue in the swatch from the on-line listing above? Tell me that's not TARDIS Blue. It's totally TARDIS Blue. Below is what was in my package. This is definitely not TARDIS Blue.
Mr. Bug suggested dying it. Can I just say how much I love this man? He is a really great sounding board. I was actually already planning on discharging the dye from a small portion of the fabric to use to stitch the nine different Doctors on in the lower portion of the TARDIS, so that it would look like the panels on the side of the box, but give it a little bit of contrast in color. In my very quick perusal at Paula Burch's site on hand dyeing {thanks for the link, P.}, and with some fiddling around and probably an on-line dye order, it might be possible to pull it off. But sheesh. Why doesn't wood-grain print just come in TARDIS Blue already? I mean, it comes in Gray and Straw and Teal and Violet and whatever color it is that I got and about twelve other unlikely colors. So why not TARDIS blue?
The only water in the forest is the river.–Doctor Who, season 6 episode 4, The Doctor's Wife, Neil Gaiman
I ♥Dr. Who. I may have mentioned it once or twice. Twelve or thirteen episodes a year is, frankly, not enough. So when season seven started in September of last year, preceded by a showing of all the Doctor Who episodes from the beginning of time {or since the series' reboot in 2005, and by the way, that's funny because it is a show about time travel}, I DVRed them all and started watching again from season one. And I fell in love all over again. The Doctor is brilliant. His companions are amazing, every single one of them. But my favorite of them all is River Song.
Best. Story Arc. Ever.
River drops into The Doctor's life mid-way through season four in a two-part episode that ranks in my top five favorites. She's called him for help using psychic paper and greets him with a very familiar, "hello sweetie." She knows absolutely everything about him, only he doesn't know who she is. Not a clue. But with one whispered word he trusts her completely. And it's absolutely maddening because we may never see her again. His first meeting with her is her last encounter with him.
The beauty of a show about time travel is that anything is possible. As River puts it, her timeline and The Doctor's timeline are back to front. River turns up again in season five, with her signature, "hello, sweetie," and an air of confidence that rivals The Doctor's. The more we see River, the more questions there are about her. She knows things The Doctor doesn't even know. And when she shows up with a six shooter on her hip in episode one of season six and blows the Stetson right off The Doctor's head, we know we're in for a great season. {Sidebar: how did I not know they were filming in Utah? I totally would have gone to see them!}
I searched high and low for a video that would give you the flavor of River Song without any spoilers and this is one of the rare times that the Media Pirates at YouTube have not come through with something brilliant. I wanted to show you her amazing bravado, her cool-headed brilliance, her knowing demeanor and especially the clever things she says. Most of the videos were set to music, and didn't allow much of the dialogue that makes River River. This is the closest I could come to what I wanted, which means, of course, that you'll just have to watch the series and find out for yourself. Netflix has got you covered. And may I recommend you start from season one? Even though Mr. Bug insists that each episode is entertaining on its own, there are things in there that you really can't miss {see also, The Face of Boe}.
If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger.–Frank Lloyd Wright
From the moment the first iPhone was unveiled, I've wanted one. Touch screen. MP3 player and phone all in one. Could there be anything more awesome?
I couldn't imagine it, but there is. The iPad. Angry Birds. Music. E-Mail. The whole of the internet in one tiny tablet. Plus the screen is bigger.
Call me fickle, but when the iPad came along I forgot all about the iPhone. Now I only have eyes for the iPad.
I have a phone. A smart phone, even. Mind you, I can't get a steady enough connection to log into my Google account so I can link to my e-mail and get cool apps like the barcode scanner thingie, and if the ambient temperature is to hot or too cold the back and home buttons don't work. I guess that makes my smart phone a little bit dumb. But, it has a full slide-out keyboard, which is awesome, and I have unlimited data {which is good because it surfs the internet like it's on dial-up or something} and texting, I never go over my 200 allotted talk minutes and my plan is cheap. So it doesn't matter so much that I'm carrying around a $200 calculator/alarm clock.
However, there arose a debate in my head between the iOSes recently and I've been weighing the pros and cons of each against each other.
Mr. Bug hates his phone. A lot. And we're on two different carriers so we were discussing the pros and cons of switching to a different carrier with a family plan. We were also doing a little wishful phone shopping. I immediately thought of the iPhone. And then I thought of how much the data plan would cost.
The very next day I found out that iPhones are now available through my current carrier. Granted, you have to buy the phone up front, but with data plans starting at $30, it is tempting. Very tempting. I'm pretty sure that the phone pays for itself in under a year, based on the savings in data plans. And once you have an iPhone, why would you want anything else?
With that, I got all excited about the iPhone again. Until I found out that the new iPhone 4S costs $650.00. I mean for that, I could get an iPad. The screen is bigger. And just thinking of the number of heavy, heavy books I won't have to carry back and forth to church on Sundays tips the scales hugely in favor of the iPad. Because I already have a phone. A smart phone, even.
The sensible thing to do, though, would be to get a new oven.
It would seem that our household appliances have reached the age of requiring frequent repairs or replacing. When we had to get a new dishwasher in April, I lamented the fact that we had to spend our meager tax refund on something so practical. But once the dishwasher, with its TARDIS-like* qualities, was installed and the dishes were shiny and sparkling once more, I started to fantasize about other new kitchen appliances.
I thought the fridge would be the next one to go. There's something wrong with the defroster in the freezer. The drain for excess moisture gets iced over and it starts dripping into the fridge. We defrost it and it works properly for a bit and then it ices over again.
In a surprising turn of events, the oven quit working eight weeks ago {and the freezer hasn't needed defrosting in five months}. The gas burners on the stove top have never reliably lit. Sometimes, after a long series of ignition clicks, the flame will burst out beyond the bottom of the pan nearly far enough to singe off your eyebrows. Sometimes it won't light at all and I have to use a match. And once in a great while, it lights after one ignition click. But it was the oven that went out. Since the stove top still works we're not starving or anything. And I know how to use a crock pot. But I kind of miss rolls with Sunday dinner. I'm dying to make a gingerbread cake to eat with the fresh, ripe peaches that are available in abundance right now. And there are only so many kinds of soups you can make before they all start to taste the same.
The cost of a repair on the oven would fall just short of the cost of a whole new one. So I suppose a resolution to the iOS debate will have to be postponed indefinitely because we're shopping for a new oven today. And I'm pretty sure the fridge is next in the line for replacing.
I'm also pretty sure that if I were ever to acquire a $650 phone and/or tablet, I would never, ever take them out of the pretty clear plastic boxes they come in for fear of dropping them and breaking the screens.
*TARDIS/ˈtɑrdɪs/:Time And Relative Dimension In Space. The TARDIS is a time machine and spacecraft in the British science fiction television program Doctor Who. A TARDIS is a product of the advanced technology of the Time Lords, an extraterrestrial civilization to which The Doctor belongs. A properly maintained and piloted TARDIS can transport its occupants to any point in time and any place in the universe. The interior of a TARDIS is much larger than its exterior, which can blend in with its surroundings using the ship's "chameleon circuit." The Doctor pilots an unreliable, obsolete TT Type 40, Mark 3 TARDIS. Its chameleon circuit is faulty, leaving it stuck in the shape of a 1960s-style London police box after a visit to London in 1963.
Doctor Who has become so much a part of popular culture that not only has the shape of the police box become more immediately associated with the TARDIS than with its real-world inspiration, the term "TARDIS-like" has been used to describe anything that seems to be bigger on the inside than on the outside.
What this world needs is a new kind of army — the army of the kind. –Cleveland Amory
Another Rainy Monday Music Spot: Rhythm of the Rain
I think I finally put my finger on why I love rain so much. Utah is a desert state and it doesn't rain much here so I see every single drop of rain as a miracle. Since miracles don't happen every day, it is nice to have a front row seat when they do. Today is another lovely rainy Monday. Actually, it's been raining since yesterday afternoon and I've been really enjoying everything about it. Here's another of my favorite songs about rain.
Change Is Bitter-Sweet
I mentioned yesterday that I was released from my calling in the Primary Presidency in our ward. We kind of have our own vocabulary , so if you're wondering exactly what that means {or even if you're not}, this is the scoop. All service in our church is voluntary, from the top on down. Unlike most volunteer jobs, you don't get to choose what you do. I guess you could say that we volunteer by assignment. Each assignment is called a calling, and just as you don't get to pick what you do, you also don't get to pick for how long. I've been in Primary {the children's organization} for about three years now, first as a classroom teacher and then as a member of the presidency {leadership organization}. And I have grown to love it so much. I've worked in Primary before; twice as a teacher, which was hard for me because I didn't have kids of my own yet and didn't know all the tricks that you get to know when you live with little people. I was also the pianist for the Primary in the ward we live in now for a couple of years after we moved here. I really enjoyed that, but this last three years in the Primary have been the best. I am really going to miss the children and the wonderful feeling that accompanies them.
It is sad to say goodbye to something that has been such a big part of my life for the last three years; a service that has been a pleasure to me and more of a blessing than a sacrifice. I feel kind of like a cast-off. Yes. I will miss Primary. Knowing how I felt, and not being able to be with me much after I found out {they let me know a few days in advance} because our work schedules are opposite, Mr. Bug had the most beautiful roses I have ever seen delivered to me on Saturday afternoon. I'm going to pretend I didn't see how much they cost. The note said, Happy Mother's Day! Congrats for "graduating" Primary. I love you. Mr. Bug always knows how to put things into perspective.
Is One of These Things Not Like The Others?
Last week I showed you my list of current projects. The list only covers projects I'd like to finish by June 30th{which keeps creeping closer and closer}. That is probably why I didn't include the Sudoku quilt I'm working on. It is a longer-term project but sill something I'm working on right now. It is pretty much the only crafty thing I've worked on in the last two weeks. Work has been really overwhelming the last few weeks and I haven't had much time at all for anything creative. I did some {more} sorting of the polka-dot fabrics, and I got all nine of my fabrics cut to their 4½" squares for the Sudoku quilt. I'm going to be teaching a class on it for a group of women at my church. I'm really looking forward to it.
I asked Mr. Bug what he thought and he said they go together pretty well. Then he said that the flowers on yellow {thanks, P.} kind of made him think, one of these things is not like the others. I think it is the two prints on either side of it that make it not quite fit in. Admittedly, this quilt did not go in the direction I was planning. I was thinking more mellow-and-yellow to set off that beautiful floral print, but I like this color combination really well. The modern-ish prints on the turquoise and green fabrics contrast with the vintage feel of the florals. I still think it works pretty well, so I don't think I will go stash diving again .
I {still}♥ Tulips
This is what is blooming in my yard today. Most of the buds are closed because of the rain, but they are still exceedingly beautiful. {Right} click on the photo for a closer view.
The End of the Tunnel
I'm starting to get Carpal Tunnel. The heels of my hands had been bothering me for a week or so, and so last week after being woken up and not being able to go back to sleep because they ached so much, I went to the source of all knowledge {the internet} to see if my symptoms matched Carpal Tunnel. Sure enough, they did. It must be all that texting I'm doing lately . I'll be getting new keyboards for work and home {probably those funky, split, ergonomic kind}. And I've started doing exercises to hopefully prevent further damage. I do them while I'm eating breakfast. I do them sitting at stop lights on my way to and from work. I do them while I'm laying in bed at night trying to go to sleep. They seem to be helping a bit.
I'm thinking it kind of sucks when the old equipment starts wearing out. I've been putting off going to see the optometrist for eight or nine months because I can't read small print anymore — yeah, it's time for bifocals . The really hilarious thing is that somebody out there has got me on a 55-and-older list because I keep getting flyers and postcards in the mail for retirement communities. There's nothing like being told you're past your prime when retirement is a good 30 years off into the future.
Much Ado About The Doctor's Socks
David Tennant, my all time favorite Doctor was on a British talk-show promoting his latest Shakespeare performance. Along with him was his Doctor co-star, Catherine Tate, who is also performing in Much Ado About Nothing with David. They got onto the subject of little OCD things that you have to do and I could totally relate to David's OCD tendency towards matching socks. But what was absolutely brilliant was his solution. Catherine's is a bit weird but she's first, so if you want to skip to David, go 36 seconds into the clip.
Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given — when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes. –Joan Winmill Brown
Christmas is an amalgamation of so many of my favorite things. So Favourite Things Friday this week and next will be a few of the things I love about and at Christmas time.
Christmas Music
Music is a favorite of mine year round, and I love that Christmas comes with its own special collection just for the season. But since you can only listen to Winter Wonderland and Silent Night so many times without going round the bend, I do have a strict policy that the Christmas music doesn't start playing until the day after Thanksgiving and ends at bedtime on December 26th. Playlist didn't have everything I wanted to share {Merry Christmas From the Familyis a lot cuter when the Dixie Chicks sing it}, but this is still a pretty great compliation {Twisted Sister singing Silver Bellsis priceless}.
Christmas Sewing
Christmas is a really great season to sew all kinds of things, whether you'll keep them or give them away. And I love sewing in either of those categories. Under that heading, these are our Christmas stockings. My mom and I {kind of} did this project together. We each bought a pattern, which included two stocking designs, and we bought our fabric together. Then we cut everything out together, but we each worked on getting them put together separately. The stockings and cuffs are made of flannel and the black background and appliqué pieces are wool felt. I added 1 strand of gold blending filament to the floss for the blanket stitch and the embroidery. I wanted to personlize our stockings so I put our names on them instead of the little Christmas phrase that came with the pattern. The patterns came from American Quilting and were designed by shop owner Amy McClellan. I had a quick look at their on-line patterns but didn't see these. I'll bet if you called or e-mailed, though, and asked for the Under the Garden Moon Christmas Stocking Patterns, they'd fix you right up.
Christmas Dishes
Since inheriting my Grandma's china this spring, eating off fancy dishes on Sundays has become a favorite thing at Bug Cottage. We've decided to step it up a bit for the month of December and eat off the Christmas China all month long.
The thing I love most about this Christmas china was the price. The set included 8 each: dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, cups, saucers, salad forks, dinner forks, teaspoons, tablespoons, butter knives and glass tumblers and the hostess set with an oval serving platter, large serving bowl, gravy boat, salt and pepper shakers, large slotted serving spoon, large serving spoon, gravy spoon, meat fork and pie server all for $50. Seriously. I bought one set, got home and decided that it would be totally worth it to get another set at that price. When I went back they were gone, so I checked another store and when they were out, I called my mom and had her check near her, also without luck. The Little Bugs think it is so cool to eat cold cereal out of Christmas china dishes.
Christmas Specials
I love watching Christmas movies, even if they are cheesy made-for-TV specials. I scan the listings for old favorites and watch for new ones. And there is one special this year that I'm particularly looking forward to. It involves a certain Doctor, who I may have mentioned I have a little crush on. Or maybe I left the crush part out and just mentioned Dr. Who. In any case, Christmas means two whole hours of The Doctor. Matt Smith does a decent job as the 11th Doctor. But I really think that it is his companion, Amy Pond {played by Karen Gillian} who makes him work as The Doctor. After watching them for a season, I'm really looking forward to this year's Christmas special. It promises to be an amazing trek across the universe with special guest Michael Gambon{who looks different without the long white beard and half-moon spectacles} in a time traveling version of A Christmas Carol. The best thing of all is that this year, BBC America will be airing the Christmas special on Christmas Day. I've got my DVR all set. And I'm super happy that last year for Christmas, Mr. Bug upped our Dish package for me so I'd have BBC America and be able to watch Dr. Who. It is the gift that keeps on giving.
He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm and the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the universe. And he's wonderful. –Doctor Who, season 3, episode 9, The Family of Blood, Paul Cornell
I love Dr. Who. Time travel fascinates me. Time travel in a little blue police call box that is bigger on the inside with the most brilliant alien ever captivates me.
I'll admit to having a little crush on The Doctor {his hair needs its own zip code }. I used to have Dr. Who wallpaper up on my computer. Mr. Bug didn't like it too much when he saw it and he wanted to know how I'd feel about him wallpapering his computer with a bikni babe. I pointed out that The Doctor was fully clothed – wearing a suit and tie no less . I took down the wallpaper and when Dr. Who moved from the Sci-Fi channel to BBC America, Mr. Bug upgraded our Dish subscription so I could continue to drool over watch Dr. Who.
Dr. Who has been around for a hundred million years. OK. Maybe not that long. But at least since 1963. I see a few of you scratching your heads wondering how this could be relevant in present day. The beauty of this show is that the main character doesn't die. If he is ever mortally wounded, he simply regenerates himself. This was a clever way for the producers to substitute a new actor for the current one playing the main character and give us a plausible explanation {unlike James Bond's mysterious change in apperance}. We're currently on Doctor № 11.
I only became a fan of Dr. Who with its latest incarnation, in 2005. The first time the Doctor regenerated really shook me up. I had no idea it was coming and although season one was really low-budget, somewhat campy and started out slow, Christopher Eccleston was really quite amazing, and even a little endearing as The Doctor. I couldn't believe it when this scrawny little git who unconvincingly played Barty Crouch Jr. was going to be The Doctor. But it didn't take very long for David Tennant to become my Doctor. Unfortunately, David Tennant wanted to go off and play Shakespeare or some other such nonsense, so The Doctor has regenerated and Matt Smith is now playing the role. I'm not sure how I feel about him yet.
Because The Doctor lives in a world where anything is possible, he does some pretty amazing stuff. I have a huge list of favorite episodes, but in the interest of keeping this short {too late }, I'll just give a little teaser of the best of Dr. Who. Airing June 9, 2007, the episode called Blink absolutely amazed me. It involved the Weeping Angels. And it was scary. But in a thrill-your-socks-off kind of way and not in a running-around-with-a-chain-saw-and-hacking-everybody-up kind of way. On May 31 and June 7, 2008 the episodes, Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead introduced us to the most amazing character in the history of The Doctor; River Song {played by Alex Kingston}. Along with River, came a complicated but completely do-able {and not so complicated that the writers choked themselves to death with it} time-travel-within-a-time-traveler's-time-line story line. It completely thrilled me with the possibilities and potential that this character, River, had.
And just when you thought it couldn't get better than the Weeping Angels or River Song, the writers came up with the most amazing two-parter called The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone, airing on April 24 and May 1, 2010, with Weeping Angels and River Song and Amy Pond {the new Doctor's brilliant new traveling companion, played by Karen Gillan}.
I'm sure that you are all now very excited about Dr. Who. You can find The Doctor on Netflix as an instant play selection. If you don't have one of those discs that goes into your Wii so you can watch on your TV, may I highly recommend it.
Shannon 
, so if you're wondering exactly what that means 
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. I'll be getting new keyboards for work and home 
. The really hilarious thing is that somebody out there has got me on a 55-and-older list because I keep getting flyers and postcards in the mail for retirement communities. There's nothing like being told you're past your prime when retirement is a good 30 years off into the future. 
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. I took down the wallpaper and when Dr. Who moved from the Sci-Fi channel to BBC America, Mr. Bug upgraded our Dish subscription so I could continue to 