Scotland, here we come!

It's been a mad rush around here to get stuff done before leaving the country again. I had a giant, 47-page proposal that I submitted to the National Science Foundation on Wednesday. And many additional things to work on to get ready for this trip. There hasn't been much time for sewing, although I do have one small knitting project for which I need photos. And now, James and I head for the airport in only 3 hours to spend the next 2.5 weeks in Scotland!

Last time I was there (2 years ago, when the above photo of Edinburgh castle was taken), I was there by myself and James had just arrived in Afghanistan. Many things have changed since then, and I'm very glad he'll be coming with me this time! I will be working most of the trip, but I won't be working such long hours as I have been lately and we have some time planned for fun too.

More fun pictures soon! Hooray for Scotland!

I love every cat...

I've been a bit slow with my sewing lately. I got halfway through sewing a skirt yesterday and am hoping to finish it soon. But until then, enjoy this very silly video with the catchy tune that is now stuck in my head.

And in case you missed the original version (without the song), you can find it here.

Happy Birthday to me!

Source

Today was my 31st birthday. We spent the weekend with family and drove home this afternoon to enjoy a quiet evening at home. We had thunderstorms all weekend, so this was a quieter 4th of July than I've had in a few years, but it was nice to just get some rest.

I finally finished that baby blanket I've been working on. It's going in the mail tomorrow to welcome the new little bundle. She arrived almost 2 weeks ago, so I'm glad that I'm not too late.


Now that I've finished the blanket, I'm trying to decide what to sew next. I have too many choices! I think I'll make the knee-length a-line version of Simplicity 5914 in gray linen next, since that will be a nice versatile piece.

And I'd like to make another Pendrell blouse and tweak it to fit me a bit better this next time. The shoulders were too wide last time and I didn't get the bottom hem quite right; I'll probably put some small side slits at the waist. I have some red bubble gauze that might work and I'll try the sleeveless version again. I need some simple but dressier shells to wear with skirts to work since my office resembles a sauna in the summer.

Here's how Cal spent most of her time over the weekend:

Ah, the life of a kitty!