Jan 28th - Feb 3rd: Lots of pictures of progress.

There has been much slaving away happening this week.  The list I made was a real eye opener to me about how much I needed to accomplish this week.  I think the only thing left to do on my dress is the collar at the top of the dress, oh and the ears. I have the ribbon to make them just not sure how I'm going to go about it.  Now be prepared to see all sorts of work in progress pictures and finished product ones too.

The buttons and lights are finally all on in the spots I wanted them.  Those lights were a pain in the tush to get on.  I couldn't get the right side to not be crooked for the longest time.

I also got the snaps added to the back of my dress. I think the back of the dress turned out very well.

The K-9 for the front of the dress is finished now but all I have are the work in progress pictures to show you.  Also in the left picture there is eye plunger for k-9. I'm really happy with the finished product. 

Check out my K-9 collar. It's finished!  I couldn't find a silver disk but I think the brass disk works out well.  Just looks like it's a bit weathered now.

I've also begun the painting of my TARDIS purse.  I'm still working on getting the letters to show up just right.

My preparations that I'm making for the Doctor Who convention are not the only thing I've done this week.  I have managed to make a carrot cake from scratch this weekend! I don't think I have ever made one before let alone from scratch.

It's a bunny! Fitting, right?  Have yet to eat a slice, but I'm looking forward to it.  The recipe I found is located here and I was really intrigued by it.  I liked the idea of the coconut and pineapple in it. So lets hope it tastes as good as it looks.

Jan 17th-28th: 17 DAYS?!?!

It is crunch time guys!  Chad just marked my chalkboard pig that has our count down for Gally on it.  It says 17 days! SEVENTEEN DAYS! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I have so much to do before then!  In fact, I am going to make a list of things to be done before then.

1. Finish dress collar for K-9
2. Write K-9 on dress
3. Get dog tags
4. Fix control panel
5. Finish TARDIS purse
6. Continue to look for possible ear options for k-9
7. Get a hair cut

I feel like there is more to do.  Maybe it is just the trying to do day to day life things while trying to finish a cosplay that has me feeling overwhelmed.  Doesn't help that I've been watching youtube videos instead of working on it...

Ok, I stopped working on it because I got frustrated with the control panel not being straight, but hey this is what I get for wanting to put actually working electronics onto my dress.  I must be bonkers or something.

Seriously. I'm crazy. I'm putting things with batteries upon my back... I can just imagine what the people scanning my suitcase are going to think about 'lots' of AA batteries...

Also in the picture you can see some buttons; which unfortunately I have to move because I realized I didn't like where I put them.  Is cosplay always this hard? (Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to completing my first cosplay)

The part I was actually the most worried about was the hem for some reason.  I'm not really sure why, because now that I'm done with it I don't really see why I was spazing in the first place.

I did have to decide to do a hem style I've never done before and also involved me borrowing my boyfriend's mother's sewing machine because I didn't have the hemming foot for mine.  That could have had something to do with it, maybe.

In other news. Let me catch you up with my life.

Charli is still a dog who puts up with crap, but also has developed a fondness for eating her own.  Seriously, why are dogs so gross?

Gwen is still as adorable as ever.  She got mad at me yesterday because I had bought some dental sticks for Charli (because who wants to smell doggie poop breath?) and she was soooo mad I didn't have a new treat for her.  The next day I brought home some treats for her, but I'm pretty sure she had already forgiven me because of the nap time cuddles given to me.  I still felt like the bad parent bringing home an awesome gift for one kid and all I had to offer the other was a new water bowl because you know I make my kids drink out of bowls on the floor. Doesn't everyone? Wait, I don't have kids...

I made a tasty crumb cake muffin over the weekend.  It was out of a box, but hey they turned out good because of my skills!

I had been craving poutine basically all week.  So grocery day rolled around and I got the supplies needed.  For those unfamiliar with poutine; it is a tasty Canadian dish consisting of fries, cheese curds, and then slathered with gravy.  I wasn't really impressed with the fries I bought, and I made a 'grave' error with the gravy.  That error was not getting it hot enough, but that is something easily fixed with a microwave.  I think next time a different fry would make it taste better, and possibly try a different gravy.  I'm just happy I got to eat some.  Don't think I did too bad with it being my first time making it either.

So that's basically how life has been going.  I should probably go get cracking on those billions of things I need to get done before gally now!

Jan 14th-16th, 2013: Progress Report

Monday I came to realize that I only have a month left to get everything I wanted for gally done.  This information has given me a new found ambition towards getting it done.  I have been working on things all week.  Made head way on the buttons on the dress, and the collar is waiting on snaps and a tag.

Here is a little sneak peek at my dress progress for my cosplay.  Also a fun buttons strewn about.  I had fun trying to figure out what ones I wanted to use.

The only thing left for me to do besides attach the buttons is hem the dress and pin down the top collar and maybe adjust the sleeves.  That isn't too much, right? Do-able with 28 days left, right? Gosh I hope so!

There has been work made upon my TARDIS purse as well.  I don't want to share too many pictures of it because I'd like the finished product to be a surprise, but I suppose I can show you what the unaltered purse looks like. (I might have posted this on here previously, but re-posting it none-the-less)

I have figured out what I want to do it and just need to get some fabric paint.  I'm pretty excited to see it finished.

I think I'm just super excited in general because the convention is so close now.  I highly doubt I'll finish the scarf before gally but I'll do my best to get as much done as I can.

Seriously I am just wiggling with anxiousness for gally.  I have to go knit now or I'm going to explode!

Jan 6th-13th, 2013: Playful/Tired Kitty = Cute

Woah. Hey. Last week.  Where did you go?  Is it just me or does time just fly by?  Well, I suppose it depends on what you are doing.  The week didn't have anything too terribly note worthy.  Just a bunch of the usual.

I tried working out on the exercise bike but need to figure out a way to make the seat not make my butt feel like it is going to fall off.  Also used some Dance Central action on the Xbox360 to get myself a bit of a work out.  If you haven't figured it out I'm trying to exercise a bit more. This week I have started the second stage of working out besides actually working out; I have started to put it on my calendar.  That way it is staring me right in the face.  The day in which I write this blog upon has bike riding scheduled.  I think I may need to find a butt pillow.

I'll try to be better about updating this week, but no promises.  To make up for my lack of posts and content you can enjoy these adorable pictures of Gwen. (probably will put more on Facebook)

 She is pooped.

And I guess Charli can be in one too. Sorta.

Jan 4th & 5th, 2013: Stew

Stew has been made.  Rather successfully I would say. One thing about cooking in a crock pot that always makes me nervous is that I don't know if it is actually working.  My crock pot is an older model that doesn't have the light on the front of it that lets me know that by plugging it in and turning the dial it is doing it's job.  So I always leave it be but always with a worrisome heart and whisper "You can do it. I believe in you.".  Then I return hours later and there is steam on the lid and the wonderful aroma of food cooking.  I can't help but worry every time even though it has yet to let me down.

Mainly the mushroom scent filled the air but no one was complaining.  In fact Chad kept walking around saying how good it smelt, but he might be biased since he loves mushrooms.  Speaking of mushrooms.  I promise that it wasn't just a mushroom stew.  If you look at the picture above it really does look like I only put mushrooms in it, but there is more to it!

I tried to get a picture of the meat, potatoes, and carrots but they kept falling to the bottom.  I learned that mushrooms are very buoyant and don't like to be on the bottom of the pot.  Must be why the recipe said to put them in last.

The adventure into stew land was wonderful, and when I spilled my entire bowl on my living room carpet I tried to not let that get me down.  Luckily the spot is in a less seen area and if it stains I can keep it a secret.  Also lucky that there was plenty of stew to go around so I didn't miss out on eating it.

We also have roughly 3 pounds of stew meat left in the fridge.  Taking ideas for what else you can do with stew meat besides make stew.

Jan 3rd, 2013: Gweener and Poopenstien

Before the arrival of Gwen into the family I have only had to deal with one set of animal eyes looking at me.  Just Charli would gaze at me before with a dumbfound look or with inexpiable excitement at the mention of 'poop'.  Charli would be pleased as punch to just roll around rubbing her face on all my things until she passes out for her nearly all day long nap.

Now there is Gwen.  She would be satisfied with laying in front of the heat vent for the rest of her life with the occasional visits to the bed to curl up in a ball.  However, now that she has been here a few months she seems to be much more comfortable with the rest of the house.  She has found her way to the couch and other chairs, and only thing of the dogs she would claim is the top of the crate that she uses to look down upon the heathen beast Charli.

Instead of just the one set of eyes, now I have two sets looking at me for attention and of course food.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Jan 2nd, 2013: Inspiration

The New Year is always good for inspiration   I really wish that people were able to be inspired all through out the year instead of just at the beginning.  Maybe this is just me who fails to keep the same rush of inspiration going year long.  I get bouts of ideas and motivation, but how does one maintain that momentum?  The answer might be that I shouldn't use up all the chutzpah on one idea and try to spread it out over the entire year. I have plenty I would like to accomplish this year and hopefully I can keep this awesome feeling.

One thing I'm going to give a go this year is making stew for the first time.  I've made a roast in a crock pot before, but I wouldn't consider that to be a stew.  I plan to do it in a crock pot as well. I'm still intimidated by cooking it on the stove and I also fear I do not have a pot large enough to hold everything.  However I do hope to eventually get more confidence in my cooking and venture into bigger pots and the like.  I got some stew meat at Costco last weekend so I'm thinking the time to venture into stew land is going to be this weekend.  The recipe I'm considering using is located here.  It looks super tasty.  Most recipes I found wanted to use wine, but once again that whole timidness with cooking came into play and I voted on one without it.

I'm going to make this blog a short one because I want to get to work on figuring out the hem of my cosplay dress my mother helped me assemble while I was in Montana so it is ready for Gally in February!

Really really REALLY looking forward to Gally in February. Really.  Seriously. I'm so ready for it. Well I'm not ready because the dress isn't finished, but you know what I mean!

Jan 1st, 2013: Welcome to 2013

Well Hello there everyone. Welcome to 2013. We did it. What a hoot was 2012, eh? Where has all the time gone? Who let the dogs out? Wiener schnitzel is pretty darn tasty. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is wonderful, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is awful.

I'll stop starting all of my sentences with 'W' now, and just stop making up sentences that start with 'W' in general.

I do realize I haven't blogged in a long time. I also realize you are probably wondering why.  Well, do not worry because I will tell you that reason. Right now. As you read this.  In a small, compact nut shell.

I got busy.

That's it.

Alright, there is more to it than just "I got busy".  Essentially I dropped off the planet because as the opening of the show I was stage managing was coming closer I was in need of concentration points towards that.  So, I took those points away from blogging and applied them elsewhere.  I didn't have time to blog everyday and still manage to get enough sleep with rehearsal daily and work on top of that.  I do feel bad that I wasn't able to keep it up but here is hoping 2013 I do a bit better.

You might be happy to know that the show went well. It did sell out and even had a smashingly stressful night where we had to replace Annie an hour before we opened.  That was the first time that has ever happened to me as a stage manager.  I think that day we all learned something very significant; understudies are very, very important.

I digress.  I probably could have managed to throw a blog up here or there while doing the show but I didn't want to risk it.  Plus then the holidays come rolling right around the corner after the show closes and I was still working on trying to figure out if I was going to make it to Montana to see family or not.

For those of you not in the loop, I did make it to Montana to see my family.  I did the trip in two driving chunks instead of one and that was probably the best idea ever.  I do not enjoy 15 hours of driving and neither does my dog.  So 6 and some change hours is way better per day in my opinion.  Plus I got to wander around the city I stayed at a bit.  That helped it actually feel like a vacation because I wasn't just going to an old familiar place.  It was someplace new.  It wasn't that exciting of a place and all I went to was some places I could go to anywhere else, but it was fun because they weren't in places I could normally visit.

I got to spend my Christmas with my family in Montana and unfortunately had to work New Years so I didn't get to do anything fun with Chad for it. Maybe we will have a belated New Years this weekend.  I'm going to make stew for him. (I've never made stew so this is exciting!)

All in all I would just like to leave this post with my thoughts on the New year and the year past.  I do not want to walk my way back through the entire year because there is quiet a bit of it on here already.  Go read it yourself! (or not) I think it was a pretty great year.  I'm happy to be where I am at and doing my best to focus myself on finding a better job.  I need to be happy where I work and then life would just be peachy. I've got an awesome boyfriend, his(our) adorable cat, and my(he doesn't like to claim her, but I'm pretty sure he likes her) special needs dog bundled up in our cozy home living our lives in 2013.

We are totally ready for this, are you?