Just a few Octopodes to Share

When I was getting ready to write this post I originally titled it "Just a Few Octopus to Share". As I was reading it I realized I didn't know if Octopus was correct for two octopus. After some discussion it was determined that it had to be either octopus, octopuses or octopi. This discussion really needed to be settled by fact so I googled it of course. What I found was that there are in fact three ways to say more than one octopus. Here is the explanation:

"Although it is often supposed that octopi is the 'correct' plural of octopus, and it has been in use for longer than the usual Anglicized plural octopuses, it in fact originates as an error. Octopus is not a simple Latin word of the second declension, but a Latinized form of the Greek wordoktopous, and its 'correct' plural would logically be octopodes."

And therefore the title was changed to "Just a few Octopodes to Share"...so there.

The above octopus is my Moms that I gave her for her birthday earlier this month and the one below is for my aunts birthday this weekend.

Seattle Trip!

I went to Seattle this weekend with my pal Katrina (she makes hair clips check her out!). We decided just to go up for a night, stay in a fancy hotel and cruise around looking for adventure. We stayed at the Westin in downtown Seattle which had a great view and was really fancy. The above picture is the view from our room during the day and at night. And the below picture is of part of our room.

Katrina is a cook in Portland at a restaurant called Toro Bravo. Being a foodie she likes to check out restaurants in different cities to sample the food. I like this because it means I get to eat lots of yummy food and I don't have to find it on my own. When Katrina and I go to eat we generally share everything so that we can try more of the menu. Here's a rundown of everything we ate:

When we got into town on Saturday we went to lunch at a French cafe called La Pichet. It was sooo yummy! We had french onion soup, a ham/cheese baguette and a green salad. I was very happy after this meal because I was so hungry after driving all day.

Later that afternoon while walking around we stopped into Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream. I was so happy to see that they had a lavender flavor (my favorite) so I had a scoop. It was the best lavender ice cream I have ever had. Katrina had a scoop of the scout mint in a homemade waffle cone. Hmmmm.

That night we ate at Matt's in the Market which was a fancy but strange experience. Originally the host told us we could have this one table when the people left. So we sat at the bar to wait but the couple was taking a looooong time with their nightcap. Finally we ordered, hoping our food would be done when we were ready to be seated. We ordered the pork belly three ways, halibut and a salad with avocado, oranges and nuts. We ordered some drinks (I had beer and Katrina had some sparkling wine) and then food started showing up. I didn't want to sit at the bar because unfortunately my short little legs were kind of dangling off the bar stool and it was uncomfortable. I am small what can I say. When our food started to show up I hung up my purse, sat forward so I could reach the foot rest and decided this was just going to be our table. We watched as the host gave tables away and we watched the couple that was at "our" table leave but we still were not seated. Finally the host decided to seat us at a different table after we had decided just to stay at the bar. We ate our halibut at a table that we ended up sitting at for probably 10 min after being in the restaurant over an hour haha. It's ok though, I had two big beers and was feeling pretty good. The view from the restaurant provided a nice nighttime atmosphere and the food was pretty good (although to be fair I liked the French cafe better). :)

To start out the food experience on Sunday we went to Macrina's Bakery where we shared a loaf of monkey bread and I had a chai latte and Katrina had coffee. My latte was ok...it had a very different taste than any other chai latte I have had and I must admit it wasn't my favorite. The monkey bread was delicious though! It was full of cinnamon and apples...almost like a cinnamon roll. The place was jam packed so it must be a Seattle hot spot. I needed some caffeine before I was going to be happy in such a cramped space. Luckily we got our stuff to go!

Before we left town we stopped in for some Pho at a Than Brothers restaurant. I have never had pho but it really is right up my alley. It had started to rain by Sunday even though Saturday was sunny and warm so having some delicious soup was so satisfying. I had the chicken and Katrina had the vegetarian. We both got smalls which was more than either of us could finish so I was really curious to see what an extra large bowls looked like. There were a couple other customers in the restaurant with huge bowls in front of them. I don't know how anyone could finish it!

Between all the eating we went to thrift stores and walked around cute neighborhoods checking out the shops. Along our walk we saw this funny black house in the middle of a non-residential street. Katrina said it could be her house some day.

We also both love to go to junk stores and sift through piles. Even though I didn't find any treasures on this trip it was awesome to see the city and explore. I have only been to Seattle one other time and we were confined to one area so I didn't get to see all the neighborhoods I did this time. Here is Katrina in her element amongst a giant button stash.

And finally as we headed out of town towards Portland the rain picked up turning our drive into something not so pleasant. Unfortunately it didn't let up and when we got back to Portland where I had to then drive back to Eugene, it was still pouring. My drive home was treacherous and slow but I made it home in one piece around 9:30. I really enjoyed Seattle and would like to go again soon!

Lazy Day Happenings and The Plush Team Book!

It is nearly 70 degrees here today. It has been the most perfect spring break weather wise. Really it has been a great spring break for other reasons too. I have been able to see my Mom a lot as well as my pal Sarah. Yesterday Sarah and I went up to Hendricks Park to look around. I almost got us into trouble taking Maisy into the no dogs allowed rhododendron garden but the nice fellow that worked there just directed us towards the dog friendly paths. I hadn't been up there in a long time and had no idea it was no dogs allowed. :) Here are a couple quick pictures I snapped.

Then I was at Target the other day looking at toys and I found these dolls that looked like the same size as my Pullip. I bought one because I liked her clothes and was so excited to find out that the clothes actually do fit my Pullip. I was so excited in fact that I ran back out to Toys R Us to see if they had more options. I did bring a set home that consisted of shorts, a hoodie, shoes, bag, scarf and tank top.

The dolls are called Liv dolls and the dolls themselves are actually pretty cool. I have Sophie. They are completely articulated and they have changeable wigs and real eyes (not painted). Anyhoo here are a couple outfit combos I tried on my Pullip. The pictures aren't that great...I really need to create some backdrops for my Pullip. Also I might have to go back to the toy store again shortly for more clothes and accessories hee hee...

And last but not least I received my Plush Team book in the mail today!!!! I have been trying to wait patiently but I have been manically checking the mail box every day hoping it will be there. It came out sooooo good! Here are the front and back covers.

And here are my pages!!!

You should order a copy and support the Plush Team!!! :) There are all kinds of things to look at and read in the book. The team members that worked on it did such a great job.

Adventure Time! Spring Break!! Part 1

I am officially on Spring Break since yesterday and boy oh boy does it feel good. Today I received the best present ever to celebrate the end of my second term....a beeeeautiful day! The weather here is so warm and nice that I decided that Maisy and I needed to head outside in search of adventure. One thing that stinks about having days off now during the week is that there isn't anyone to adventure with because everyone is either at work or busy. Good thing Maisy is always up for adventure!!!

We went to Alton Baker Park which is a place we go a lot. They have a really large dog park so we started there. Here is Maisy in the park in front of the giant Oregon Ducks stadium. I am always amazed at the size of the stadium...it is so huge in person.

I told her we were going to adventure out of the dog park and she ran to the gate and was like "hurry up, let's go!!!"

Alton Baker park is laaaarge and full of paths, water, bridges and wildlife. We decided to head towards an area I usually don't walk around but there are all kinds of things to see in that direction. Maisy only kind of likes water so she will jump in along the way and wade around a bit but she won't swim.

This bridge caught my attention because all the little green foliage growing underneath was blowing in the wind. It was so serene and quiet because there weren't any people on the paths.

Even amongst dead looking branches new life is blooming...

In the summer the paths between these trees remind me of a secret garden. Everything is grown over and it's a dark cool tunnel.

We saw lot's of neat birds!

While we were walking around I was thinking about how back in high school we would come to the river on a day like today to drink and smoke. Just as I was thinking about it a group of high school looking boys came out of the trees and started walking down the path. Maisy really wanted to catch up with them! Doesn't it always seem like she is telling me to hurry up?

Speaking of Maisy she generally alternates between being terrified of EVERYthing and dragging me down the path. Some of the things she is afraid of are people, fishing, loud noises, bikes, trash, trains, birds, skateboards, boats, cars, leaves etc, etc, etc.

The river!!!!

We finally made it around to the bigger bridge that crosses the river. They put in new railings that looked really neat.

Taking a break checking out the river.

We were going to walk over to the duck pond but we started getting tired. I know Maisy has had enough walking when she stops and looks back at me like "really still more walking?" as opposed to "hurry up!". I decided that we will have to make a trip again before spring break is over and we will walk the other direction and get more pictures to share.

When we finally got to the car Maisy sat panting the whole way home. Her breath stinks lately. The End.

Something that Annoys Me

I was reading Chez Beeper BeBe (a blog that I enjoy) and I saw this post. After reading the post and following the links to Taggies's patent and website I was even more angry. I mean I believe that when something is invented the inventor deserves to protect their idea and profit but I mean come on. How can you patent folded ribbons? I have been working on a lion idea that entails a mane made from folded ribbons. Now I am worried. Should I make him will this company send me a cease and desist? So I am writing this post so that if any of you out there would like to make the sunshine plushie you will have the tutorial now. Also spread the word if you are so inclined. This is my little protest/revolt of the day..

My Dolls are Going to be Better Dressed than me.

I am absolutely in love with these doll clothes by TTYA. I can hardly stand how cute they are. It makes me want to go clothes and sneaker shopping for myself. I think my Blythe and my Dal are going to be in for a real treat when I can save up the money to buy them some of these duds.

Also this is a Momoko doll. I have never wanted one before I saw these clothes. Every time I see one they are dressed all frilly and well like a typical fashion doll. Now I want one! Probably won't happen though because they are spendy.

Check out TTYA's website and Etsy shop.

Fun Mail!!

It's been a long time since I bought myself a new toy or doll but I splurged this week and finally purchased a doll that I have wanted for a very very long time. I was so excited when I went to the post office today and realized she arrived. She is a Dal and her name is Cinnamoroll. Here is what she looked like when she arrived.

And after pulling all the packaging apart. I can't believe how pretty she is in person. Her outfits are so well made and the details are perfect.

Here is the outfit she had on under her bunny suit. Isn't she pretty!!!!? I think I like her more than Blythe because she is articulated and can sit and hold things. I can't wait to do some clothes shopping for her. She is so pretty!!!

Things I bought Thursday

Hey it's Thursday again and I have things to share with you that I bought! Last weekend my Mom and I spent the day together which was super fun. We went shopping all over the place looking for rain jackets. Our last stop was at Goodwill because we can't spend the day shopping without doing some thrifting. I found a few cool treasures I am excited to share.

First was what I call a jar of junk. Jars of junk, bags of junk, trunks full of junk are my favorite things. I love not knowing what will be inside and I anticipate opening it later and finding out. Turns out this jar had several little treasures I love.

When I dumped it it wasn't apparant if there were in fact any treasures.

But as I sorted through I found all these guys and I love them all!! From left to right: a little plastic girl holding a flag, green ceramic dragon, wooden stool he is sitting on, tiny lamb, AWESOME TREASURE CHEST THAT OPENS (capt. Weirdbeard will love it), ceramic seagull, cast iron mail box, clay hamburger, ceramic squirrel and a teeny wooden japanese doll.

AND THEN I found this jacket. It is the coolest retro robin egg blue jacket. I need to iron it and repair a small hole in the inside armpit but OH MY GOSH is it neat and the best part is it fits me!!!!!

And look at the back!!! I think it will make a great Easter jacket with a cute little dress underneath.

Making Sets.

Well since I can't seem to ever get over to the beach, even though I only live about an hour away, I decided to bring the beach to me! I wanted to make a beach scene to do a photo shoot with Captain Weirdbeard and Olly Octopus.

Look at all these pretty papers waiting to be cut up and pasted.

Ta-da! Captain Weirdbeard is a socially awkward guy that ends up drinking too much when he is nervous, especially around the ladies. His friends think he is funny and the life of the party but deep down he wishes he wasn't so awkward.

His favorite booze is XX. This particular bottle was crocheted by my awesome pal Sarah. It is sewn to his arm because he doesn't want to loose it.

Oh no he fell down and decided to sleep right where he landed!!! Some nice sea creature must have covered him up. Maybe it was Olly Octopus?

Olympic Challenge Entry!! Yay! Finally!!

Kristen of Schmany and PlushYou is putting on an Olympic Challenge. For all the details (it is too late to enter but if you want to know the criteria) go here. I have finally finished my piece and I am really excited to share it. There are four categories and I got opening ceremonies. I had no idea what to do! The only thing that came to mind was a torch and I figured everyone in my category would do a torch so I wanted to think of something more complex. Since the olympics took place in Canada this year I tried to think of all things snow and Canadian. My list was long but I decided on a snowflake that is melting while holding the torch.... What started as a brainstorming session ended with a piece that is probably the most complicated thing have I have created to date.

Here is the original concept drawing...

I have to tell you I almost gave up. First of all a snowflake must be perfectly symetrical. Aaaand all those little legs have to turn and the bases are quite narrow (and not fun to sew and cut out). The first attempt was too small and all wonky. I enlarged the pattern and tried again....

This dude is made from white fleece. The torch is grey fleece and flame is wool felt. The snowflake himself is completely wired and can stand on his own. His face is embroidered and colored with ink.

I call him...... "The 2010 Olympics are HOT!!!"

What do you think? I want to win the GOLD!