You say Rain Boots, I say Wellies/ Gumboots/ Galoshes

Just as I read Katie (of HazelandMare)'s haiku about rainboots,

Gilt Groupe sends an email with rain boot sales!!!



Some cute pink quilted ones...


And cute English plaid ones


Mustard colored lace-up boots! Gotta love the color mustard...


This was my very first pair. I got them from Target years ago, before I ever stepped foot in the US of A. I was living in China then, and a friend was going back to the States for a vacation. She asked if she could bring me anything, and this was what i asked for! I still can't believe how kind it was of her to bring it back for me! I wore them all around the streets of Shanghai, rain or shine. I remember the locals casting side glances and smirks at me on sunny days. But when it rained, I got the last laugh!

I miss them. Time to shop for a new pair! (*waits impatiently for payday*)

Bonjour mademoiselles!

This is from the Flight of the Conchords and it's hilarious! My friend P showed it to me before i was introduced to the series and i've loved it ever since. It's the kind of series I can watch over and over.

I showed the video to the J-man last night as he is taking French lessons in school this semester. He makes me sit with him to go through the lessons. I figured he'd need someone to practice with conversationally, but I had no idea it was going to be tough. It's like the blind leading the blind.

Learning how to speak is fun but the conjugation is killing me!

I took basic Japanese in college, and it was easy as it is very similar to Chinese. It makes words and phrases a breeze to remember and sentence structure easy to form. Although I must say i'd probably forgotten most of the stuff, except for counting numbers, telling time and telephone numbers and my name. :)

I guess it all boils down to practice, and the start is always the toughest. Oh well, he's only been to one class. So let's just see how we progress...

à bientôt, mon amie! (hope i said it right! *eeps*)

Crafting: Circle Skirt tutorial and more!

I've been busy crafting for a fair in Mooresville in early October. I know it seems like a long time away but i hardly get any time to myself these days. We are preparing for the arrival of J-man's grandma and her boyfriend. They'll be staying with us for a coupla' months. This house will be crazy busy very soon! I think they arrive Sunday. I figured i'd try and get as much done while I still have the house to myself. Which isn't much.

BUT...



I made myself a circle skirt, tutorial courtesy of Dana from MADE. It was reaaaallll easy to make, up until the last step - to attach the elastic to the skirt. I have had near ZERO experience sewing elastic onto non stretchy fabric, so this was definitely an eye-opener. *eeps*



I also added a lining underneath the skirt, which is essentially making TWO skirts, with the lining shorter than the outer skirt. J tried to take a picture of me twirling in it, you could sorta see the white muslin lining under. But, major picture-taking epic fail.

Now, to wear it and twirl the rest of the summer away!




I made two more tote bags for the fair but i think i need to up my production a little bit more.

I'm considering if i should sign up for a 2nd fair at the end of October. I really have no idea how I'd do in the first. I might end up not selling anything in the first and have enough products for the second fair. Conversely, i might sell some stuff and not have much for the next.

What do you guys think? Considering my slow production rate, should i sign up for TWO fairs in the same month, or take it easy and see how i fare as a first-timer? I know some of you have great experience at markets and fairs, i do need some advice!

Thank you in advance!

Suzuki Reno on Suzuki Dr

So J and I found a 2nd car!!!!

I'm happy but also a little disappointed. After all, we were supposed to look for a car for ME! But the sweetest deal we found was a manual transmission (*sheepish* i cannot drive a manual to save my life) so he gets this:



2007 Suzuki Reno, 88,000miles for $5800!!!

What a steal!

It will look really fierce, especially when we clean it out and give it new rims. But for now, my piggy bank has been cleaned out! I've saved a loooooong time for a car. So no new rims in the near future.

I'm tempted to learn how to drive a stick now that the car is sitting in the garage, although the J-man did stall 4 times going up the hill. Can I really do it?

What's your favorite drive?

Birthdays are FUN!

Hello blogosphere!

Firstly, I'm done with my summer camps! I was completely getting into the groove of it all and then they ended. Bleagh. I wish they'll let me teach some day classes soon! I miss my babies! My gardening camp was so much fun and the kids so enthusiastic we could go on forever!! D said on the last day of camp, "i will miss you!" and made my heart melt. I took them on a nature walk in the park. We caught a caterpillar, seen beautiful spiders and their webs, found a dead (crispy) cicada and picked acorns and pine cones!

These are the babies from my two camps! I love my youth volunteer assistants too!!








And then I got new kicks for my birthday. Rocking it out at work everyday now. New Balances are sooooo comfy!



My manager G baked me some special cupcakes because she missed my b-day dinner! So sweet of her! And the cupcakes were gorgeous and yummilicious!!!



i'm going car hunting this weekend! Wish me luck! I hope i find my dream drive soon!