Partay

Friends
Originally uploaded by Sirelroka

There was, of course, the obligatory shin-dig at Jason's house. In this case it was a hoppin' fifth of July party. There was good food, melted chocolate, Henry's homebrew, and some guitar hero. Who could ask for more?

Where a geek can be a geek.

Roland and I got back from Vegas late on Sunday. It was a great trip and we had a really good time. Jason was already there for a work class thingy, which he apparently passed with a 93% on the certification test. Go Jason. I spent some time playing poker, while Roland and Jason spend a lot of time playing poker. I ended up playing for about 7 hours total I think, and came out even, so that was good. Roland and Jason ended up in the money for at least one tournament each so that was nice for them (I only play limit so no tournaments for me). Plus they had a side bet going on one tournament that whoever got pushed out first had to buy me a caramel apple. This was pretty much a win, win for me so I didn't really mind.

We saw the Cirque du Soleil show O, which was incredible, and walked around seeing the sights. There are a few more pictures over at if you are interested. One of my favorite things was going to the Star Trek Experience and eating at Quark's Bar. We drank some quite a few nifty drinks served in a bowl with dry ice in it for fun smoking effect and chatted with a Klingon for a while. My inner nerd was pleased.

It's not an emergency, it's a 'major inconvenience'

We're off to Vegas today. We will be leaving for the airport very soon. It's a little early to be leaving but Florida seems to be having a ba-giant power failure at the moment making driving a little dicey. It sounds like brunt of it is down in Miami-Dade, but we are going to leave a little extra time to deal with the traffic. Anyway, we are going to be meeting Jason in Vegas this evening. He is already there having gone early to take some class or something. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it sounds like there was a test at the end so a certification of some sort? We have plans to go to a couple restaurants and see a Cirque show. Other than that I think we are going to mostly wing it. I'm excited to go but I'm hoping that getting there won't be too stressful!

Velveeeeta

Another evening I was in North Muskegon Ryan and Laura drafted Ryan's mother to babysit Jackson, and Jason was totally awesome and drove up from Kalamazoo. We went out for dinner to at the BLT (where they have the largest crab legs I've ever laid eyes on), and then went back to the Wiles' house. We enjoyed some margaritas and played a couple rounds of Spite and Malice. Ryan was super fantastic and kept a fire going for a long time, which Laura and I really liked.

Here you can see Ryan, Jason, and Laura (after some beverages) while we partake in some Euchre playing fun. And get this, Jason and I actually won one game (perhaps Ryan and Laura were just taking it easy on us?). It was so nice to hang out with my friends, but it makes me appreciate how much I miss them now that I am back in Florida.

Cookie!

Another good thing about staying in North Muskegon is that Ryan and Laura live there now. They have a very nice house not too far from the Clevelands...although, if two people both live in North Muskegon, then no matter what they aren't too far from each other. Anyway, one evening while I was in there Mrs. Cleveland let me borrow her car and Ryan, Laura, Jackson and I all went out to dinner. It was quite an adventure and afterwards, we went over to a place called the Grand Traverse Pie Company. This place wasn't there when I lived there, and what a shame. All those desserts! Laura went for some pie, while Jackson picked a sugar cookie, and Ryan and I opted for chocolate chip cookies. I don't know about the pie or the sugar cookie, but the chocolate chip cookie was delicious. It was a lovely evening and Jackson was very patient when dinner took much longer than expected and he was still adjusting to the time change. He is also in a stage where he talks pretty much non-stop. You don't really even have to be listening, he will just keep on going. And some of the stuff he says is pretty hilarious. All in all an adorable 3 year old. There is another picture of Jackson and one of the Wiles' cat, Adventure in my Flickr account.

A little later Jackson was getting ready for bed and I caught Laura unaware with the monochrome filter. I'm not sure what she's thinking about, and the picture quality isn't the best, but I like this shot. Probably because Laura is always such a bubbly and fun person it is interesting to see her both in a quiet moment and without color.

There is one big down side to visiting with Laura, I remember just how much I miss her.

To you

Happy Birthday Henry!

Whimsy

While we were at Disney I discovered a few more things to play with on my camera and one of them is a monochrome filter. So I took some pictures with it while we were there. When I was looking at them today to decide which one to put in my blog post I decided on this one. Part of that decision is probably because I miss him a great deal right now. It just doesn't seem fair that either I have to miss my family and friends, or I have to miss Roland. *pout* Anyway, here he is waiting for a motor coach back to our hotel at Epcot.

Thus ends the great Food and Wine Festival epic of aught seven.

Green Archer needs food badly

One of our evenings was spent over at Downtown Disney. I think it was the day we spent in the Magic Kingdom. There are only a few places at the Magic Kingdom that we would choose to eat for dinner and one of them was where we had lunch and the other is seasonally closed. Most of the other places aren't terribly remarkable or have gone to character dinners that we try to avoid if possible. They tend to have way more kids around and be buffet style.

Anyhow, we arrived about 15 minutes before we were supposed to be at Raglan Road (our Downtown Disney restaurant of choice) so we meandered over to the arcade that was across the way from the restaurant. And low and behold we found this...Gauntlet: Legends. My all time favorite video game. I actually have this game for the PS2, but they changed it a bunch from this arcade game so I don't like it nearly as much. The next one they put out, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, is far more like the arcade version of Legends and hence far better. Upon spying this gem tucked away in the back of the arcade I made everyone play with me. Being Downtown Disney the machine took quarters, which was nice because we didn't have to go get tokens anywhere. It was a blast, but alas, before long we had to get on over for our dinner, but man was that a good time. It was especially nice because Roland and Jason are the ones who I used to play this game with in the first place.

As I mentioned our dinner was at Raglan Road. A seriously fine Irish Pub. When we have been there before it has been too early for the live entertainment so this time we specifically set a time that was late enough to catch the band and Irish dancer. And both were outstanding! We got seated directly in front of the band and I was a little worried about the volume, but it wasn't a problem at all. The Irish dancer danced very well and had a lot of single guy admirers (some of whom had a few beers under their belts I'm sure). Ragland Road has two beer flights and Roland got one while and Jason opted for the other. Then they decided that they each wanted another so they switched. For dinner I got the Guiness Stew, which was really quite good. Dessert was some bread pudding with two drizzling sauces. I think Jason like the sauces better than the pudding and after the pudding was gone ate all the rest of the left over sauces by themselves. All in all a very enjoyable evening.

Beep, be-beep

Your regularly scheduled installment of the Food and Wine Festival vacation will resume shortly, but I just had to share this with ya'll. Yesterday I flew up to Michigan to visit with family and friends. Dave dropped me off at the airport, we said our goodbyes, and I went through the security checkpoint. As I'm walking down the ramp towards my gate I hear my name in a rather astonished tone of voice. I look up and who do I behold? Katie and her cohort of Cancun bound buddies! No freakin' way. They were just about to board so we didn't get much time to chat, but it was nice to see them all, and meet Becky. Hopefully I will get to see more of them after they return from their well deserved vacation.

Aperitif

I think our vacation with Jason can be officially reported as a success. Every time we go somewhere with Jason I am reminded how vacationally compatible we are. We seem to move at the same pace and enjoy the same things. I just hope Jason feels the same! We had a lovely time wandering around enjoying good food and wine and not feeling the need to be on the go all the time and seeing every last ounce of Disney.

We started at Epcot this time. Usually when we have new people with us we like to start at the Magic Kingdom because that is the epitome of Disney. However, since we were all about the Food and Wine Festival this time we made an exception and started at Epcot. Pictured above, Jason bravely tries the Beverly, one of the interesting sodas of the world available at what used to be called Ice Station Cool. Then we moved on to the World Showcase and started eating our way around the world. It was very nice and the food was great. We also tried some interesting wines/drinks from other countries. I got to try some of the ice wine this year. I liked it, but I don't think we will be shelling out the money for any!

We were able to watch the candy lady in Japan, which is one of my favorite activities. And, thanks to Roland I was lucky enough to get a hummingbird from her. We also saw some of the bands around the world, including MoRockin' (I think Jason enjoyed the belly dancer), the British Invasion, and Off Kilter. I made everyone stop for a show with the Voices of Liberty too. Since Jason is a diver, we made arrangements for all of us to dive in the Living Seas. It was awesome, and neat to be able to show Jason. I think he agrees that the best part is playing with the people! Although many of the kids are a little freaked out when you come up to them. We were pretty lucky and the wildlife was fairly active while we were diving. A green sea turtle swam right up to us and gave Jason a good looking-over. After that it was over to the Rose and Crown for dinner. Roland and Jason both had the fish and chips (and I snitched a bit) and a beer flight. Add the Illuminations show and sticky toffee pudding for dessert and it was a wonderful evening.

Just stay between the green lines

We have returned. We spent a lovely week at Disney World soaking up the Food and Wine Festival. Jason came down to join us (woot!) and this year we actually participated in some of the events rather than just eating ourselves around the world. Although, we did eat ourselves around the world a good three time...just to make sure we got everything. As an added bonus Dave's parents flew down on Thursday for a vacation of their own so we got to see them as well. They are actually flying back on Wednesday, when I fly up to Michigan and they are going to meet me at the airport and drive me back to Muskegon with them. Then I'm going to spend some time with Dave's fam and my Mom is going to come pick me up there on Monday. I'm looking forward to seeing how much Mila has grown and hopefully I'll be able to spend a little time with Ryan and Laura while I'm in North Muskegon. Then I will be in Big Rapids and with a little luck will be able to borrow a car to be able to drive to see Henry and Katie in Grand Rapids, and down to Kalamazoo to see Jason and get back Roland's coat that he left there over a year ago (not much need for a winter jacket here in Florida). Who know's maybe I'll even get to see Shannon and Ronda!

Anyhow, there will be more posts about the Food and Wine Festival soon, along with some pictures!

Cheesefest

Cheese
Originally uploaded by Sirelroka

On Thursday after driving back up to Coral Springs, Jason and Dave went to the store and brought home a feast. We had decided earlier in the week to go for a cheese festival one night for dinner. They brought home something like 7 kinds of cheeses, some meats (salami and sliced ham), some fruit, and some wine. It was delicious. My favorites were the Edam (no surprise there), the chevre with carmel and walnuts, and a Robiola (soft, very buttery cheese). I really wanted some Cambozola, but no such luck. In any case it was a delicious meal enjoyed by all.

Dive Boat

Well, Jason left today to return to Michigan, which is kind of a bummer. But we had a fantastic vacation with him so that was awesome. You can also read about some of our adventures over at Roland's blog or Jason's blog. Jason flew in last Saturday and stayed for the entire week. The highlight of his stay was the trip down to Key Largo to go diving. Jason was awesome and investigated all sorts of places to stay and dive shops and even booked everything for us! How great is that? Pretty much all I had to do was show up and jump in.

We dove on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and each day was better than the last. The first dive was at North, North Dry Rocks, and no I don't really understand why there are two Norths. It was nice, but I did get a little chilly down there. Also the second tank of the trip was canceled due to imminent lightning, which was a little scary. That evening we went to the Fish House for dinner. It was very good. We each opted for fish or seafood which turned out to be a good choice. Apparently they not only purchase their fish fresh from local fishermen, they purchase the fish whole and fillet it themselves. Needless to say, that was some fresh fish.

Wednesday, we dove at the wreck of the Benwood and the Banana reef. I put on my 3/2 this time so I wasn't cold. I'm totally ridiculous though, wearing a 3/2 in 88 degree water? What is wrong with me? Oh well, I guess I'll just have to be the weird one putting on a wetsuit when everyone else is diving in just their swimsuits. I think it was on the Banana reef (which is crescent shaped and as our captain said...it has appeal) that Jason suddenly signaled rather emphatically that I should look behind me. And there was a four foot nurse shark! Mega-cool. We also saw some baracuda and a small goliath grouper, well small for a golaith grouper, it was still huge for a fish. This evening we ate at Snook's. We just had some of their appetizers, but it was very good and kind of fun, although I think the waitress thought we were nuts.

Thursday was probably my favorite diving day, although that shark makes it a tough call. On the first dive of the day at Outer Grecian Rocks we saw a bunch of eels, a sea urchin, a largish spiny lobster, and some nice Christmas tree worms. I was on fire on that dive, and just kept pointing out cool critter after cool critter. The last dive was back at North, North Dry Rocks since the Statue of Christ of the Abyss was full of divers. It was cool to go back and see the tall coral formations. That reef sort of has canyons that you can swim through and have reef walls on either side of you. It was pretty sweet.

Jason and I are well matched on the diving, using air at about the same rate. Each time we asked each other what our pressure was we were within 100 psi of each other...except once and that was because Jason had a bit of a leak. We were more limited by the time than air on these dives. We surfaced each time with like 1500 psi left. He also is totally cool with me getting caught up staring at the eel and just watching it for like 5 minutes. We also have about the same tolerance of buddy separation. I really liked the dive op that Jason picked and think that Dave would like to dive there. It was very laid back and rather than the DIVE, DIVE, DIVE mentality the captian just repeated over and over again: Slow down, there is no need to hurry, you'll miss stuff if you don't slow down. It was very relaxing.

Both Jason and I took some pictures which I am in the process of getting up, so look for those in the near future.

Tips

As you may have read, Jason is taking a new position at Stryker (I wonder if he will have to wear a suit more). But before he does he will probably come to visit us for a little vacation. It's a good idea to take that vacation before starting the new job, because after he starts the chances of him being able to squeeze in time away will be much dimished. Luckily for Roland and I, it looks like Jason will be coming down to visit us!

We've been chatting a bit about what to do when he arrives and beside the obvious (some fun dining, some beach bumming, etc) we were thinking of visiting the Keys for a few days. Even after living here for quite a while now I still haven't been to the Keys. Bad Susan. Jason was thinking, and I am totally in agreement, that a little side trip would be cool and we could possibly do some diving while we are there. I'm always being told how great the diving is down there, but I'm not comfortable just driving down there by myself and taking my chances with a dive buddy.

So I've been looking around online at some info on the Keys and it seems like Key Largo has a lot of cool stuff going for it. Key Largo has some wicked looking diving, with the Spiegel Grove and cool statues underwater and all. They also have dolphin encounter places that would be really cool, but too expensive for the time being. Kayaking sounds cool and if they water is calm, relaxing too. However, it is tempting to go on down to Key West, because, well it's the end of the line. Plus, you hear a lot of about the interesting people who reside there. Right now Key Largo is calling to me, but who know what more cool stuff I will find online. I still haven't looked into places to stay for the few days we will be down there, but given how touristy it is down there, I'm sure they have all sort of options.

Thoughtful hearts

Katie just updated her blog with some adorable movies of Charlotte (who may or may not be a rubber ducky cannibal) and directed people to Charlotte Central - your source for ridiculously cute baby pictures. Amongst the photos found there were some of Charlotte in a dress I made! I'm so geeked, so here they are for you to check out. After which you should go check out the rest of the pictures.




Can someone say future botanist?

Invasion

On Henry's beer brewing blog (check it out - he won a silver medal at a local homebrew festival!) he included the OOTS style avatars for the Blogtet. I thought that was a pretty sweet idea, so I'm trying it out on my blog. What do you think?

International Man of Mystery

Jason, my resident computer expert has fled the country. He is over in Germany for the week doing...something. I know it's for work, but past that I'm really not sure. He called the day before he left and we chatted for a while about things he might want to know about Germany and some simple German phrases that might come in handy (don't worry Henry I included "Ein grosses Bier, bitte"). While we were talking he mentioned possibly blogging from over yonder, which I thought would be awesome. So, Jason, here is one vote for blogging about your trip! Please?

Family Vlog

Here is my second Vlog attempt.

Smooth

Jason, the party house gauntlet has been thrown.

and 1

Ahhhhh...I'm sitting at Jason's house relaxing. We arrived yesterday afternoon so Roland could have some quiet time for grading. He is now finished...he stayed up until 4 in the morning to do it, but he's finished. So he is sleeping in a bit this morning/afternoon to make up for his late night. So I'm sitting in Jason's basement watching Galaxy Quest on his sweet new TV.

Tuesday was Roland's birthday and we went to Grand Rapids in the late afternoon to meet people at Buffalo Wild Wings. We weren't sure who would be showing up but it turned out to be quite a few. Jason came, although Jocelin was still in New York so we missed her. Katie and Henry came with Charlotte (who totally loved the wings and beer ;), along with Jennifer and Brian. But the people that absolutely made my year were Kate and Joe Leggett and Veronica and Joe.

I went to high school with Kate and Joe. Kate was in my year while Joe is a little younger. Kate and I played soccer together and both went to Western, then ended up as roommates for a while. Then in 2003 we took a wee vacation to Disney World together (where I learned that Kate talks and sometimes yells at her books, when they suck). I'm sure we used to tease Joe a bunch but now he's tall, dark, and handsome so he got the last laugh there. Although apparently he has a little trouble with sunglasses.

Veronica and Joe I used to work with and the Humane Society. Now she is working at K-College and he is an Animal Control Officer with Kent County Animal Control. They also bought our house when we left for Florida. They are a coupla crazy kids and I miss them a great deal.

We stayed at B-Dubs for three hours or so and then meandered off to Henry and Katie's house for afters. Although we may have lost our way a bit and ended up at Cold Stone Creamery first (oops). Then we stayed there for a few more hours chatting and generally catching up. As a total bonus Ryan and Laura showed up at the house. They were busy all day moving a bunch of stuff to their new house in North Muskegon. It was just awesome that after a day of moving heavy stuff they drove to GR (hardcore).

Hopefully as many of those people as possible will be able to come to New Years. I'm not sure how many will be able to though. I guess Charlotte is not so keen on taking a bottle, which means that Katie can't drink which is a mega bummer. Especially since she hasn't had any of that kind of fun for like 11 months now. I wouldn't be nearly as accommodating about it as she has been with Henry. If I was having a kid I would probably cut Roland off from pretty much all alcohol until I could join him again. I think it would be totally infuriating to watch him along with everyone else have a rollicking good time while I had to feed the baby and probably drive home because I was the only sober one. I think not. Logical? No, as a matter of fact it isn't. Why do you ask?

Thanksmas 2006

Thanksmas - A party in Pictures

There were good times:

Henry wins!


Erin gladly offers...something...to someone.


There were bad times:

Bad beer?


Erin and I agree, something's not right.


There were even some very serious moments:

Carlson and Henry listening.


Did someone drug me or what?


But mostly there were a lot of good friends:

Look at all the babies!


Henry and Laura pose.


Oh, and of course taking pictures of Roland while he is eating. Some traditions never die.

Mug lately?

McAvery and Eli-Eli-O

Yesterday I way lucky enough to visit with Shannon. It was really really really nice. We pretty much just sat around, played around with the twins, and talked. I don't think I can express how much I've missed having friends to just sit around and talk with. Ooh and Shannon made this awesome tea. It was gingerbread tea and then she added some French vanilla creamer and some sugar and it tasted like a liquid cookie. I'm gonna have to get me some of that! Then maybe I'll leave whatever is left over with my parents or something since I don't have much use for hot beverages in Florida.

Merpy Thanksmas!

Since most who read this blog read the rest of the blog-tet you probably already know that Thanksmas was a huge success. We had a large turnout and it was fantastic to see everyone. The turkey was delectable since Roland made it and Jocelin's casserole's were awesome. I especially liked the pineapple/cinnamon one. I tried to make some rolls, but they turned out all wierd so we didn't use them.

I've got a gal

The craziness continues, we have moved on to Kalamazoo. In the ongoing seeing people mission we also got to visit with the Bakers and their new daughter Charlotte. It was really neat to see them and meet their little girl. She mostly just slept, ate, and then slept some more, but really what do you expect from a 3 week old? She was super cute doing it though! Katie brought up going to get some food, but unfortunately due to a bit of bad planning on our part we needed to get back to Muskegon to let the dog out. It sounds like they are going to come to at least part of Thankmas so that will be awesome.

We are now camped out at Jason's house. We got here mid-afternoon and I took a much needed nap. Then when Jason got home from work we went out to dinner at Bilbo's. It was good as usual. Now we are hanging out in his super awesome bachelor pad basement playing pool and Foosball. We are looking forward to Thanksmas and hoping that the weather doesn't wreak havoc with people's plans.

ShooShoo and Aaave

We've been doing well at seeing people. Monday Roland's brother had a rockin' good poker tourney which Roland won (I made the rule that he had to spend the winnings on more Christmas presents for me). Tuesday we had lunch with Roland's grandparents and then I went over to the humane society to pick up the tooth scaler and Oravet for Bleys. While I was there I got to see a buncha people who I used to work with. It was especially nice to see Doc, and I'm hoping there is a way I can get back to see her again. Then for dinner we went over to Ryan and Laura's house. That was really really really nice. The dinner was delicious and super impressive since we only put this shindig together on Monday (way to go Laura). We got to see Jackson who is just about 2 years old and really starting to have a personality. After he went to bed we played cards and just sat around and talked. It was a very good time, but made me miss what we've left behind.

For Katie

Congratulations to Katie who is having a girl! Yay for Charlotte Jane Baker (unless Katie changes her mind).

Realization

For those of you who don't know Katie and her husband are some friends from Michigan who are expecting in November. They decided, for reasons of their own, not to tell people what the sex of the baby is. Super cool. Then, today, she posted on her blog about a project she was working on. She decided to sew up a little baby outfit. Sweet. I've been trying to get other people to sew for years so I can have someone to talk to about it. She chatted merrily about getting the supplies and the frustrations of learning how to sew from a pattern (especially one from Burda where the translated instructions aren't always the best). Then she posted pictures of the cute little dress. What? Dress. Oh crap, does she know what she just did? What should I do? Do I comment on the dress and how cute it is (it totally is), or do I email her and say something about letting the cat out of the bag? I take a deep breath and wait until Roland comes home. He says, just give her a call. All righty. I grab Roland's phone (because he has the number in there and I don't have it in my phone) and call her up. She isn't home and I leave a message, but she does call me back later. We had a wonderful far ranging conversation about all sorts of stuff including her little sewing project. I finally just ask if she really meant to give away the gender of her child. She gets very confused. Then she figures out that she forgot to mention one little thing in her post. The outfit isn't for herself. It is a present for another friend who is having a girl in a few months.

For Katie

Katie, who is currently remodeling one room in her house as a nursery asked about curtains for the room. I started to comment on her blog, but then the comment began to take on gargantuan proportions so I decided to just post it here. Those of you who don't care about curtains should stop reading here.

You've got a quite a few options for your draperies Katie. You eliminated the simply decorative types (which I totally agree with, I think that would be silly) and opted for actual functioning ones.

Option 1 - Rod pocket. These are some of the simplest to make as it can be as easy as sewing a large hem on the top and slipping that pocket over the curtain rod (add an extra seam above the rod pocket and you have instant ruffles on top). You can either make one large panel to fit across the whole window, or a pair one for each side of the window. The down side? They usually don't slide very well across the rod and you may need a lot of material to make the fullness look right.

Rod Pocket

Rod Pocket with ruffle

Option 2 - Flat panel. These are also relatively easy to make and are similar to the rod pocket draperies. The only real difference is that instead of attaching to the rod by a channel sewn in, these attach to the rod by means of a ring (very much like a shower curtain). This ring can be a grommet in the drapery itself or something that extends above the top. Again, these can be made as one long panel or two smaller sides. The down side? A little more complicated to make than a rod pocket and you may need a lot of material to get the fullness. If you use the grommet option that is also another added difficulty. I've never been very good at them and it usually causes me a disproportionate amount of frustration. Rings are available in both sew-in and clip-on varieties.

Rings
Grommets as rings

Option 3 - Tab Top. A close cousin to the flat panel. The only real difference is that instead of some foreign material to attach it to the rod (metal or plastic ring) fabric is used. This fabric tab can be wide or narrow, or even simply tie over the top of the rod. Again, these can be made as one long panel or two smaller sides. These were traditionally meant to be stationary draperies. The down side? A little more complicated to make than rod pocket and like the rod pocket these also tend not to slide easily over the rod, and you may need a lot of material to get the fullness.

Wide tabs

Tie tabs

Option 4 - Pinch pleated draperies. My personal favorite, probably because this is what we had growing up. These are the kind I just made for our bedroom (with that awesome light blocking lining). These are a lot more complicated to make, but not crazy hard, they just seem hard in comparison because the others are simple. They also require some specific hardware (available at Joann, and Fields etc) in the form of pleater tape and pleater hooks. They can be either one wide panel or two side panels and can either be put onto a transverse curtain rod or be but over a curtain rod with rings (I used the center pull transverse rod - purchased from Kmart). Reasons I like these so much? One: you don't have to fiddle with them to have them look full. The pleats almost guarantee the correct placement of material whereas on the others to get them to look like they do in the pictures you have to sit there and play with them to create the look each time you move them. Two: on the transverse rod they both go around the corner to meet with the wall and completely cover the curtain rod, thus blocking out more light etc. The down side? As I mentioned they are more difficult to make, you need more hardware/installation, and you may need a lot of material to get the fullness.

Pinch pleated draperies

Pinch pleats with rings

Close up of pinch pleats

Around the corner

Then of course you have to decide on length. You can go to the sill (so the bottom hem rests just above the sill), to the bottom of the apron (so the hem covers the bottom of the wooden apron below the sill, to the floor, or puddling on the floor. That is totally personal preference.

If you noticed a trend in the down side portion of each one, good eye. Most people underestimate how much material goes into draperies. This is why when you go to Target or someplace to buy them, they look like a good deal...at first. Then you read the package closer (I hope) and it ends up telling you that for the picture they used 4 or even 6 panels. So multiply each panel/package as they are usually sold individually and you are looking at a lot of money. To get the traditional fullness of a drapery you are generally looking at 2.5 to 3 times the width of the window. I used 2.5 because of cost, if I could have I would definitely have gone with 3. Of course the solution is to make a truly flat panel (one that has no fullness when closed), these often look very sleek and no frills-ish. Another solution to this problem is the one I used in our house in Grand Rapids.

Option 5- Roman Shades. These are most appropriate for windows that are taller than wide and I can't remember what you have in that room, so they might not be the best option. They are great because of the small amount of fabric and the sleek look. The ones I made were completely housed inside the window frame so there was no rod to install, but you can also make them so they fit over a rod. I used the light blocking lining there as well (we had a halogen street light directly outside our window). The construction is a little more complicated, about the same as pinch pleated drapes and requires some power tools (staple gun mostly). The down side? The aren't for all window types, you need to take down any blinds already in the window, and most of these work on a string pull system which means you will need to put up a cord cleat or some other means of protecting Baby Baker from the strings.

Inside the window frame

Over a rod

So there you have it, way too much information about draperies. Anything look good to you Katie? Anything right out? Also if you took a picture of your window, I seem to remember you saying something about the rod being right up against the wall or something, it would help me a bunch. Based on what I know and can remember right now I would opt for flat panel (with rings and with or without fullness) or pinch pleated draperies. I would avoid the rod pocket and tab top because of the difficulty with which they move across the rod.

I hope I didn't scare you away, it's just that there are so many cool options!

UPDATE: Now that I've seen pictures of the almost completed nursery I think I would choose:

1. Two Roman shades (one for each window) because I like how the white trim outlines the fabric, it avoids the wall/rod problem, and it keeps in the very sleek look of the nursery (me likes!).

or

2. A pair of pinch pleated draperies that came down just below the apron (rather than resting on the sill). Or maybe just a single panel of pinch pleated drapery haven't quite decided yet. I think my first choice would be the roman shades

Back in Black

Henry posted a comment about the new trend in South Park avatars, coming so close on the heels of the OOTS avatars and all. I think my sister put her South Park one up on her website, but I think I'm sticking with my OOTS version. I like the South Park one and might use it sort of intermittently for a little variety, but I like that Bleys is in the OOTS one with me. That makes it more me. Plus the OOTS avatars actually require some talent to make (talent I do not in any way possess), while the South Park avatars merely require time (which I have in abundance). But just so Henry could have a little variety if he so desires I put together this:

To be honest I have no idea what sort of facial hair he is sporting now, but I was always I fan of the goatee. The ACDC shirt: self explanatory. Also notice he is holding not one but TWO kinds of beer, showing his fierce love of all things hoppy (and I'm not talking about rabbits).

Just Jason

And for Jason we have four options:

For everday use we have simply, Jason (hmmm maybe I should add an ipod?):

For special occasions we have, Burgerwhop Jason (for some reason they don't have any chair slats or burgers):

And for vacation use we have both, Ski Jason and Scuba Jason:

Invitation

As an extension of my feeling of belonging being part of a blog-tet I encourage people who visit my blog to feel free to comment on it. I appreciate hearing from you - even if I don't know you.

The man in black fled across the desert...

Over yonder, people are getting excited about getting cool avatars like the one on my blog and in the comments Henry Bierman called us a blog-tet. This pleased me all out of proportion. I thought about it for while and then realized that since I first read King's Dark Tower* books I was quite taken with the idea of a ka-tet. Jumping from job to job (with little success) and now state to state has left me wishing there was some force out there bringing purpose to my life, that there was something that I am supposed to do, something important. It's not much, but being a part of a blog-tet gives me at least a little of that feeling of belonging.


*I've been totally corrupted by my husband, I had to think hard when typing Dark Tower so that I wouldn't instead type Dork Tower, a very funny RPG comic that he reads.

Sucker!

Another friend fell for it. Sweet. Another bonus; more funny! He is very funny so I'm sure there will be some good stories to come. It is awesome that people are blogging, because it gives me a way to keep up with them from across the county. I hope he blogs often, even about everyday things, because I'm eating it up!

Tick-Tock

That Jason kid called yesterday and we chatted for a while. It was very nice to hear from him, I definitely miss him and Ryan, Laura, Henry, Katie, and all the Michigan peeps. I'm not sure what Roland and he talked about as I wasn't really paying any attention at the time, but we talked about him possibly visiting and going diving. And maybe taking AOW at the same time. We also reminisced about our hone....I mean completely innocent vacation to Breckenridge. It was so much fun to go skiing on real hills, not just Michigan speed bumps. Plus the condo we were able to share was awesome. Jason's work person that owns it must have paid a fortune! It was uber-close to the runs, very nicely appointed, and very comfortable. The fireplace was a huge bonus. The only problem was the third floor location, and that was only a problem because I am a total wuss and was winded just standing in the Breckenridge altitude. Maybe if we went back I could manage a visit with Janice. I was able to call her from Colorado this past year, but she was very busy at the time so getting together was right out. Plus Kate Leggett is over there in Wyoming so maybe she would want to go skiing too? Pipe dreams I'm sure, but nice to think about.