I love Christmas-time

I love this time of year. Especially when all my shopping is DONE. Reviewing my list last night, I realized that all of my gifts are under control. What an amazing feeling of peace. I am usually running crazy at the last minute, dashing to UPS only to find out that the box will arrive before New Year's not Christmas... it is enough to make you want to eat a whole pumpkin pie. (Not that I would do that... no way)

Thank goodness for the internet. I was able to send gift baskets to those who "have everything," find the 3-d version of Journey to the Center of the Earth for Jack, plus some cool toys that I wouldn't have been able to find unless I went to Toys R Us. I don't want to be anywhere near that store in the month of December... My girlfriends all got aprons, my niece and nephew got some bedtime stories, Mom and Claude are covered too. Whew! Now I can enjoy the fireplace and make some yummy food without freaking out about gifts I haven't found yet. That is the sort of panic that keeps Isotoner in business. At midnight on Christmas Eve, it seems logical that everyone needs slipper socks. Oh yes. Slipper socks will be so warm and toasty in the winter. I've received a few pairs. And really, one pair is enough. Because one sock will soon disappear to wherever socks go between the dryer and the dresser. And then you are faced with the decision to throw away the remaining sock -but you can't - because you know the minute you do, the other one will appear. I have witnessed this first hand, so this is not just a crazy theory.

I'm looking forward to posting more pictures after my new apron presents are opened on Christmas. Until then - happy holidays!

My Apron Girls

The dinner party Friday was really wonderful. The food turned out great, Elaine brought some amazing green beans, and her apple pie was to die for! If there had been any leftovers, I think there might have been some discussion on who got to take them home! Here is a picture of all of us together with our aprons on. This is the debut of Glenda and Shannon's!

After a big night, Steve and Ryan retired to the couch to watch Curious George, I couldn't help it, I had to take this shot:

In about a month, we'll all be together again, but in my new house. And hopefully with more of my darling girlfriends able to be there.

Holiday calories

The evil man who sits two cubes down from me brought MORE home-made candy in to work today. He's the guy who can eat fast food three meals a day and is skinny as a rail. I envy his metabolism. Must be strong and resist the temptation of the chocolate yummies he put RIGHT OUTSIDE MY CUBE. Did I mention he is evil? LOL

Dinner Party, coming soon!

Tomorrow is my holiday dinner party! Yay! I'm so excited. We had so much fun last year, we decided to do it again. This time, though, it's not on a school night. None of my guests had a clear head for work the next day. ugh.

This is one of the big reasons why I can't wait to move into a house. Right now I have to limit my guest list to 6 because you put any more people than that in the apartment, you have to start moving furniture outside. LOL

I am very excited that I have all my aprons done and wrapped. I will be sure to take pictures so I can post the rest of them here. I can't believe I have sewn so much the past few weeks I'm actually running out of thread. Two aprons stopped mid-project due to a navy thread outage. News at 11.

Back to the dinner party - I'm attempting some new food this time. I had the butcher cut a very pretty beef tenderloin for me. I'm going to roast that with some herbs and veggies, to serve with a horseradish cream sauce. I'm also making some "old" food. The mushroom cream soup that was such a hit at my birthday is coming back! I love the way it makes the house smell. mmmmm yummmy. I won't even try to guess how many calories is in that soup. I will just stay in denial and consider it fat-free. :)

More than office politics

I usually duck my head when it comes to office politics, but today, I think I will need to intervene. SOMEONE keeps turning up the heat. I work in a huge building, filled with little cubicles in the center, and pretty offices with windows along the outside... Must be nice! Cube-dwellers have "zone climate control" which means the masses are at the mercy of the one person who gets cold when it's 75 degrees, and thinks it will get warmer faster if they crank it up to 85.

Winter in Georgia is relatively mild. Outside, today it will get to about 45 degrees. I am wearing a long suede skirt, boots, hose, and an angora sweater. About 2:00 today, I realize that I am BAKING to death in my cubicle... I take a peek at the thermostat, someone has turned it to 80. I am the last person to say - "It's too hot in here" BUT IT'S TOO HOT IN HERE! When I find the person who keeps tweaking the heat... they will find angora up their nose.

Which, by the way, I think is french for "cat fur" I've been shedding all day.

Long Time since I last updated...

Wow, has it really been August since I posted on this site? Yikes. Time flies when you are... well, what have I been doing lately? Work was very busy up until October, it seems like since then it has been very quiet at the office. Giving me time to feed Jack's Neopet, go to football games,shop for Christmas presents, and look for a house. The weekend before my birthday, Jack and I met Elaine at the Falcons game. We had a lot of fun taking Marta in to the city, the game was fun, Jack didn't want to leave. Being a Mama Worry-wort, we left a few minutes early to get on the train before it got super crowded, and wouldn't you know it, we missed a very exciting finish! Only to get stuck in accident traffic trying to get home. We probably would have been better off staying at the stadium! The next weekend, we got tickets to the Clemson/GA Tech game. We lost, which was sad, but I got to make some yummy food for the crew.

Over Thanksgiving, I found myself with extra time on my hands, and I finished 4 aprons, have two in progress, and I also whipped up some rice heating bags - which, by golly, really do work! I am really close to having all the presents for my girlfriends done. Which is good, because they are all coming over for dinner on the 12th. I will post some new pictures soon!

The first batch of Aprons - DONE!

Before I start giving these away to my darling friends, I wanted to post my handiwork. I got the bug to sew aprons a few weeks ago, and I've had a blast putting fabrics together, tinkering with hems and sashes... I went into this project with the idea that these would be fun gifts for my lovely girlfriends. As they came together, I could tell which one of my friends they belong to.

This was my first attempt - it will be sent to my sister-in-law Kendra out in California. She is the most laid back mom of two I've ever met. I adored hanging out with her at 4th of July. I only wish she was closer.

This one is the Carol... I think it suits my mom wonderfully, it is classy, flirty and girlie, just like her. I LOVE reversible aprons - you only have to wash them once BOTH sides are dirty. :)

This looks like something my friend Amie would love - she looks fantastic in red, and her cooking is amazing.

I can see Elaine wearing this when she is whipping up some of her famous dip. I love the fortune cookies on this - it reminds me of our favorite restaurant - Green Tea!

Next is darling Cindy, a girlie girl through and through - I think the beachy plaid and polka dots would suit her.

I made this one with my son's Mimi in mind - Becky is the most wonderful southern cook. She'd give Paula Deen a run for her money, her biscuits are divine.

This is my "pirate-meets-samurai" apron. I can't part with this one, sorry ladies. In fact, I wore this last night while I was making dinner. Doesn't the red sash just make you want to say "Argh"?

Is a little bit of OCD okay?

I have to admit to a little bit of OCD when it comes to keeping my carpet clean. I love to vacuum. I'm not sure where it started, but it is probably why I love mowing the lawn too. Now that I have a wonderful yellow Dyson (it kinda looks like Wall-e from that Pixar movie) the obsession has gotten worse. I whip that vac around my apartment and am amazed that there is that much "stuff" on the floor. OK, most of it is hair, and I can't blame the cat for all of it. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a ton of hair, and I shed just as bad as the cat does. Aha! So there is my excuse for my twice a week, gotta have it, vac fix! I love the perfect little lines in the carpet when I'm done. I love/hate seeing the little bitty cat footprints in it the next morning - it is kind of cool (yet annoying) to see that she really does just wander around without much purpose.

Only my cat knows how bad it really is - although the Dyson is quieter than the mammoth thing I had before, she still runs and hides. I thought I was the only one, living with this weirdness/quirk?, keeping it to myself because my friends look at me like I'm crazy... But then my Mom and I got to talking. I think I have found a kindred spirit, enabler, call it what you will. It started with my son spilling soda on her new carpet. And ended with us buying a home carpet steam cleaner. She took it for a week and cleaned all the carpet and rugs in her house - just as a frame of reference, it is a brand new house, she and my stepdad moved in to it in January. If it wasn't the middle of summer, I swear she would have done her car too. I picked up the heavy contraption from her house last Sunday. After dragging it up to my third floor apartment, I wasn't sure if I was even going to bother with it... But then, who am I kidding? It was the best of both worlds! The instructions TOLD ME TO VACUUM FIRST. WOO HOO! An hour later I had cleaned 3/4 of the carpet in my apartment. I think the only reason I stopped is because I couldn't feel my right shoulder anymore. Fast forward to Tuesday morning, my entire apartment has clean, beautiful carpet. Uh oh, it just might be time to vacuum again. LOL

For those of you about to send the men with the butterfly nets and the straight jacket out to my apartment, don't get me started on how to make the bed...

Introduction

Hi there!

I have wanted to start on this blog site for a while, but couldn't come up with a good name. I know, it's kind of silly, but I wanted something... just right. I have been addicted to the Apronista, Apron-a-day, and several other Blogger sites which gave me motivation to start my own.

"Dot & Glady" is a tribute to my late grandmothers.

Dot (Dorothy) was an amazingly creative and talented artist, seamstress and cook. I got to know her more when I was in college. After being practically on the other side of the country from that set of grandparents for most of my childhood, I moved within 15 minutes of them when I went away for school. I could tell very quickly where my mischievous streak comes from.

Glady (Gladys) was a wonderful woman who's generosity of spirit was boundless. My brother and I enjoyed summer and winter vacations at Gladys' house, we'd watch deer walk right up to the back deck, we'd play piano (badly) in the room off the garage. I don't think I'll ever forget being wrapped up in a blanket in front of the TV to watch cartoons on a COLD winter morning.

I lost both of these wonderful women to cancer. But I hope that their spirit lives on in not only my generation, but also the next. There are times when my son will look at me and I will swear he looks just like Dot. His belly laugh reminds me of Glady.

I am not the domestic diva that these women were, but I certainly try. I balance my computer geek day-job with a random set of quirky hobbies that I truly enjoy. With the sewing machine, I make quilts, aprons... the occasional sock monkey. In the kitchen, I love to come up with fun recipes, amazing desserts with chocolate are my favorite. Now that summer is winding down, it is time to turn my attention to the quilt I've promised my Mom for about a year... I'm working on it, Mom, REALLY!