Monday, November 15, 2010

Moving On Over...

Yes, I'm moving from here over to my website, which is

http://www.kourtneyrobinson.com/


(Blogger, you've been great, but I'm trying something new & different...)

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Gatsby, O Gatsby...

I had a tough day a while ago. One of the several nadirs was dropping the lid to my go-cup on the floor at Starbucks, and not noticing that it had actually broken until I put the lid on my coffee cup, "closed" it, then set it on the stroller. It promptly poured scalding hot princess coffee all over my wrist & purse.
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The good things about that? Well.
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1) It didn't scald Eleni.
2) I caught it right away, so it only wasted a little coffee.
3) My bag was shut, not open.
4) I wasn't using one of my "good" bags.
5) It didn't burn bad enough to blister, and even if it had, it was my wrist, not my fingers, so not as pivotal for knitting.
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I got home - eventually. And I looked at my lovely, lovely Offhand Designs knitting bag. It's been on the couch for quite a while; I've used it out in the world three times. And I realized that as much as I love that bag, it's not my style. I love it, and I wish it was me; but it's not.
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Obviously, there are the Littles & their accouterments. Sippy cups, cheerios, diapers, broken crayons. I'm mildy dismayed at what's in my bag at the moment, but I was also very glad to find a fragment of blue crayon to keep Am busy while we were waiting the other day. Ditto the cast-off back-up bink for Eleni, at an emergency nap-stop.
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And really, all apart from that, I need a bag that will survive if I put my mocha into it, and there's some kind of go-cup malfunction. I know it's a terrible idea to put a full cup of coffee in my bag, but it's maybe going to happen at some point. Wash'n'wear, maybe wipe clean. Fates, I know that at some point, I will be looking mournfully at a pile of mocha-soaked something, and I accept that.
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(Amoryn & puppy were very glad to model these - she's never got to touch them before!)
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That being said, I've decided to let them go. One friend suggested that I just hang on to them or five years or so, once we're past the danger point of the kid's sippy cups. That just feels miserly & wrong. These bags have been lovingly crafted, they're gorgeous, and they deserve pride of place & lots of use.
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So they're officially going up for sale on Ravelry. Details will be there; follow this link if you're really interested.
Old Gatsby: $130US, shipping included to US/Cda.
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Now, any suggestions on deeply stylish, functional, durable bags? Apart from MEC's ripstop nylon offerings? They're high on function & durability, but lower on the style.

Monday, November 01, 2010

Brought To You By The Color Purple & The Number "8"

Yes indeed. Halloween (heck, October!) has come & gone. It's been a little trying; some deadlines, some stress, some learning curves, and some other stuff too.
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(This is as close to Halloween candy as Eleni got – an empty box of Smarties. She was perfectly happy with it though!)
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The important things DID get accomplished though. Namely, one (1) octopus costume with eight (8) tentacles was created.
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(Waiting to spring into action on a toddler.)
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Ta-dah!
I’ve been skittering along the edge of a head cold all weekend, and I was honestly not so hyped about Halloween. And then I looked at how excited and happy Amoryn was, and I sucked it up, and took her out.
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It was simply the nicest time I’ve had with her in weeks. She was giggling, she was polite, she was brave. She listened to me, she held my hand, she was helpful. (She kept reminding people to close their doors before the mosquitos got in.)
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She was also very keen for the pumpkin carving – she helped to wash them off, then she used a water-based marker to draw their faces. (I interpreted her art using a permanent jiffy marker & a big, sharp, knife.)
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(Her handiwork.)
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(I think that this one is especially eerie.)
(Or is that eye-rie?)
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With that awful pun, with those wonderful Halloween memories dancing in my head, I'm off to bed.