The Week in Glue

Taste testing the beach for freshness.

After a busy weekend of work and play, I am back at home, trying to get resettled. Work passed quickly on Saturday, followed by a road trip to Cape Cod with a few of my oldest friends. On Sunday, we braved the overcast weather and went to the beach. The sun never came out, but the air felt soft and inviting. Gabe played in the sand and had his feet dipped in sea water for the first time. He seemed wary of the beach scene. I think he'll warm up to it, though. 

As for other news, I have been LOVING my a-Pair-a-Day project. From the design of the earrings to the pictures to the posting here and elsewhere, the process has been filling me with creative joy. Later this evening, I will be posting pair 13, so stay tuned. For now, here's what is keeping my soul glued this coming week:

Beverage: Coffee, coffee, coffee. Gabe's sleep patterns have not regulated yet, and I often feel like a zombie in the morning. I relish that early cup of coffee. Last week, I RAN OUT OF COFFEE. OMG. It was AWFUL. CAPITAL LETTERS SCREAM THE TRUTH. My mom arrived later that morning to babysit Gabe, and, angel that she is, brought me a cup that kept me from drinking warm Coke Zero at 8am. Phew. I have learned my lesson, and I am prepared this week, having restocked the coffee stores.

Nickname for Gabe: Still using a lot of "ChiChis" and "ChiChas." My friend, Roger, came up with the nickname "G-Hank" for Gabe, an abbreviation of Gabriel Henry. I want to start using that amazing identifier more often.

Reading: Have not read as much Red Seas Under Red Skies as I would have liked. I like to read before I go to bed, but some nights my brain is just too tired to understand any sort of written language. During the day, I try to keep up with my Feedly blogs, though I do not get to sit very much due to Gabe's recent increased mobility (crawling is wonderful and terrible). However, when I have a second, I've been enjoying many of the posts from the makezine.com blog, which features lots of fun craft tutorials.

Way to Waste Time on the Internet: I borrowed "Mary Poppins" from the public library in our town. It totally holds up. As an adult watching Mary Poppins fly, control the weather, clean with magic, and alter medicine with mind bullets, I began to wonder: What is she? A fairy? A witch? I then proceeded to waste 10-15 minutes searching on the internet for an answer. I think this might be the best explanation I found.

Lwaxana Troi models the Riker
stud prototypes.

Troubleshooting: I made a pair of Commander Riker studs that did not please me as much as I wanted. After much thought, I have come up with an alternative plan that I hope to troubleshoot this week.

Words of Inspiration: My Freewill Astrology horoscope (which is just good advice in general):
"'There is no such thing as a failed experiment,' said author and inventor Buckminster Fuller, 'only experiments with unexpected outcomes.' That's the spirit I advise you to bring to your own explorations in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. Your task is to try out different possibilities to see where they might lead. Don't be attached to one conclusion or another. Be free of the drive to be proven right. Instead, seek the truth in whatever strange shape it reveals itself. Be eager to learn what you didn't even realize you needed to know." Thanks, Rob Brezny!

Around the House: Making baby food: Chickpeas, mango, spinach, and apricots. I'm not sure how much longer Gabe will want the mush. I've been attempting to balance the incorporation of more finger foods into his diet with my ongoing anxiety about baby choking. Gah.

Craft Idea: I found this pin for making a flower out of a cut up t-shirt, while looking for tutorials on how to make felt flowers. When I clicked on the pin to see more of the tutorial, it took me to the lovely blog, Inspiracion Hecha a Mano, and a page of accessories made from jersey knit (a.k.a. t-shirt) fabric.

Prolific squash plant with no squash. Boo.

Want to Learn More About: How to make my squash plants GROW SQUASH. The plants are gigantic and grow lots of lovely flowers that end up falling off the stems after a day or two. I read that this is something male squash flowers do to pollinate the female squash. The lady squash are no where to be found, however. Maybe I will find some magical tip on the internet this week that will teach me how to entice the lady squash to the garden.

What's keeping your soul glued this week?