Secret Parking TIcket!

I received a NOTICE OF VIOLATION from Doug's Home city of Chicago yesterday....telling me that I had a parking ticket from 7/28/07...parking in a Residential Permit Area at 1421 N. Wieland.

I really don't know how I got this, nor was I privy to the information A YEAR AGO when this supposedly happened. There was no ticket found on my vehicle.

At least I can pay online....

Thanks Chicago!

Did I mention Doug rocks!

Doug made this awesome design for our night of praise this year. Can you believe it is the 5th annual already! This year is going to be awesome....I cant wait. Thanks Doug for sharing your talents fo free for your poor sister our poor dance ministry. You and Tim have always come through for me when I needed a design becuase I would have no idea how to do it. And this one is exactly what I had in mind but I could not explain it. I love you guys!

YEAH

Anyone excited to see me and Z soon? Im excited to see you ALL!

sew'd. (part 2)

these are the projects that have been semi-finished since the previous post.

yes, that is a spoon as the closure.  that was mom's idea & i thought it was pretty cute.
the back

i thought that this clutch turned out pretty cute, but i forgot to put facing in (whoops) & it is very flimsy.  however, for my own use, it fits my moleskine perfectly!
& this is a bag that i finished today.  it has a cellphone & ipod pocket inside, so it's ready to goooooo.

another thing that i did is a reversible ipod sleeve for a friend of mine with the same fabric as the green bag.  it had a strap made out of ribbon so that she could hold on to it pretty well while running.  it was sweet.

in other news, i think allergies (or a cold?) have gotten to me.  i've had two cups of tea (rooibos, so no caffeine) and a cup of coffee today.  it's helped considerably, but i'm feeling a little bleary-eyed.  

my excitement of the day includes finishing the above green bag, finding a dead bird in the fountain on the front porch, playing mario kart with beth, and learning about air in my environmental science textbook.  :)

love,

abbey

Answering the Call

The chanting broke through to my mind and has prompted a response! Woe to whomever who belittles the power of words.

So,
First off, Douglas, my classes are not puff.
Here is the write-up:
Music Theory I
Musicianship I
Russian History to 1917
Russian I
Microeconomics
And the good ol' freshman seminar

I will also be working at the Renaissance and Baroque society. So far for that I have been trained in their software and been to a dinner for the girl I'm replacing.

My musical exploits are up in the air at the moment, but so far I will be participating in the orchestra. Still waiting to see about music lessons of all sorts and choir.

In other news I have lots of furniture which will make it onto the blog when it has found its home in my new house. I move on the 16th and I'm trying to see how much stuff I can get rid of before then...it's a losing battle. All suggestions on how to bring yourself to decide to get rid of things are welcome.

Much love and encouragement to blog,
EJC

Family Blog! Family Blog! Family Blog! (Chant)

Confessedly absent from the blog for a time, Tim and Rachel Cook make a startling resurgence!



Hospital visits and backaches aside, we are living quite well here on the North Side.

Rachel is adjusting to the very new and different surroundings of home and trying to find her "Place in this World" both in terms of the North Side and in terms of finding good work to do.

I am continuing to enjoy work at the Pittsburgh Project. The lastest bit of excitement: switching to a new database software! Just when I was getting really capable in Access (I could create my own forms, queries, subforms, everything!) ...we are switching to a more customized software called DonorPro and integrating our Donations and Volunteer databases into one super database. I assume it works great on the donations end, but the new software is a bit clunky, however, when it comes to managing my volunteer-specific information. All stunning, I know...and important.

Otherwise, I am trying to decide on what new volunteer initiatives to create. I have realized that we have a lot of volunteer interest that is wasted, because we do not have enough outlets for service and have been trying to ponder new ways for people to work with us.

We are eating well (CSA keeps us full of Beets, Chard, Basil, Potatoes, et plus) and having lots of good meals with friends and neighbors.

Lots of books and films are being absorbed via Netflix and the Library (interlibrary loan with Carnegie is the BEST).

And, Rachel and I made our first big purchase together: 2 Season Passes to the Quantum Theatre performances this year. Anyone interested in Shakespeare, or taking a class on Shakespeare (nudge), or interested in us, should join us for Cymbelline this Sunday.... or come to another show with us, they are always interesting and enjoyable.

And this week, I swear I am going to wake up for the Men's Thursday@6:30 Bible Study.

Peace!